First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has called on medical professionals in Africa to take embrace Information Technology which she described as a great asset to solve persistent problems facing the continent in the Health Sector.
The First Lady spoke when she opened the 1st African Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology Regional Congress and the 39th Kenya Obstetrics and Gynecology Annual Scientific Conference at a NairobiHotel.
In her speech, she told gynecologists and obstetricians to become possibility thinkers as they explore solutions to the many problems afflicting Africa especially on issues of Reproductive Health.
Mrs. Kenyatta said the recent surge in the emphasis on health and fitness devices in technology firms provides the best opportunity for Africa to further explore how the continent can best adopt health monitoring technologies to benefit the mothers during pregnancy and after childbirth.
“This is the perfect forum to see how we can best leverage the great tools at our disposal through Information Technology (IT) for Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights”, said the First Lady.
She said although maternal mortality in Africa has dropped by 40 per cent in the past two decades, it remains intolerably high at 800 maternal deaths per day.
“Women should not die giving life”, said the First Lady quoting her Beyond Zero popular mantra. “When it happens the newborn and children suffer ten times more the risk of dying prematurely”
The First Lady said one of the greatest drawbacks that seriously affects maternal, neonatal and child health in Sub-saharan Africa is the region’s failure to recognize healthcare as an imperative right for all.
She described both the Regional Congress and the Scientific Conference as a great milestone for the whole continent as they chart the way for future cooperation that is bound to greatly diminish diminish the instance of maternal and children mortality and morbidity due to knowledge sharing among the region’s medical professionals.
The First Lady underlined the need to appraise the regional bottlenecks in the Health Sector, fast-track interventions and innovations to save more lives
The medical professionals donated Sh 1 million towards the Beyond Zero Campaign.