AFRICA/KENYA - New hospital structure to give assistance to women in the Diocese of Isiolo

Isiolo (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic Diocese of Isiolo in Eastern Province of Kenya, is building a new hospital structure to reduce the incidence of maternal deaths in the district. It will be the second mission hospital after Wamba Mission Hospital, about 50 km from the city. The first phase of the project, launched last June and includes a laboratory with two main wards and 30 beds, two lounges, two post-caesarean wards, and a pharmacy, is almost completed. The hospital, located on the border between Meru and Isiolo, will be the benchmark for all pregnant women from both dioceses, often victims due to sanitary complications, worsened by traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage . This situation is also aggravated by the nomadic lifestyle, which sees many women forced into continuous movements that put the fetus at risk. The coordinator of the Program for the Diocese of Isiolo Hope Child Development Programme, pointed out that many women today die as a result of poor prenatal care, and is convinced that when the hospital structure is completed and will operate, the life of many mothers and many children can be saved. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 29/08/2011)