• NASG helps to reduce the amount of blood pooling in the lower extremities; it helps to increase the volume of blood returning to the heart to maintain cardiac output and tissue perfusion while also managing shock caused by excessive bleeding. 

Lwanda Community Alliance has provided medical supplies worth 2.66 million Kenyan shillings to Homa Bay County to curb maternal and infant mortality rates. The donation includes crucial equipment such as Ambu Bags, Penguin suction devices, and Non-Pneumatic Anti Shock Garments (NASG), distributed to 77 dispensaries across the county.

According to Wycliffe Omwanda, the Program Manager at Lwanda Community Alliance, the company has plugged 85 Ambu Bags, 80 NASGs and 85 Penguin suckers that will see to it that maternal and infant care is promoted.

“Our main goal is to avert maternal and newborn mortalities in the county, today we have dispatched maternal kits to dispensaries to enable handling of emergency cases. Our goal is to ensure every child celebrates their fifth birthday,” said DR. Omwanda.

DR. Omwanda also added that it is useless to supply equipment without proper training of personnel handling maternal cases at the local dispensaries.

“We have trained health care providers from 157 facilities on how to handle emergency cases on obstetric hemorrhage and infant respiratory cases to reduce the number of mortalities and child morbidity in the county,” DR. Omwanda added.

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Addressing the press during the dispatch, the County Chief Officer for Health, Dr Osuri, said that haemorrhage had been the most significant threat towards maternal deaths and with the availability of NASGs, stabilization and management of severe blood loss in mothers will be easier.

"Hemorrhage has been our biggest nightmare when it comes to maternal deaths, with the availability of NASGs managing and stabilizing severe blood loss is going to be made simpler as the NASGs helps to reduce blood loss by compressing the abdominal cavity and promoting blood flow to vital organs," Dr. Osuri.

NASG helps to reduce the amount of blood pooling in the lower extremities; it helps to increase the volume of blood returning to the heart to maintain cardiac output and tissue perfusion while also managing shock caused by excessive bleeding.

To reduce infant mortality and morbidity, Dr Osuri said that the penguin sucker would help reduce death cases caused by respiratory issues.

"The penguin sucker also known as suction catheter clears mucus and other secretions from the infant's airway to ensure proper breathing. This ensures the child's airway is not blocked, it is normally inserted into the infant's nostrils or even mouth for suctions," Dr Osuri said.

Dr Osuri also added that the Ambu Bags would help reduce the risk of death from respiratory issues by providing adequate ventilation during critical situations where the infant is not breathing or breathing inadequately.

"The Ambu Bags will ensure our infants receive adequate oxygen to prevent hypoxia (low oxygen levels) and other associated complications. It is crucial in preventing respiratory failures since it aids resuscitation," Dr Osuri added.

Homa Bay Teaching and Referral Hospital has been recording many deliveries; according to Roselyn Omollo, the County Executive Committee Member for Health, the referral hospital records between 310 and 380 monthly deliveries, with at least 27 daily deliveries.

This puts the county at a high risk of maternal and infant deaths following the large number of deliveries recorded in just one hospital in the county.

The health department is optimistic that with medical kits and well-trained nurses, safe deliveries will be recorded to zero maternal and infant mortality in the county.