Linda Mama revival plans are welcome

The return of the Linda Mama maternity scheme is long overdue. This initiative was introduced under retired President Uhuru Kenyatta but was abolished by his successor in unclear circumstances.

We believe that governments, regardless of who leads them, are elected primarily to serve the people. That is why successive administrations are bound by law to inherit the legal and financial obligations of their predecessors. Over time, governments are elected to correct or improve the activities of those in power. Linda Mama was a good idea whose implementation should not have been abandoned by the Kenya Kwanza administration, which prides itself on pushing a robust social protection agenda.

By the time it was abolished, the scheme had benefited nearly a million mothers. As of October 2016, Kenya was the only country that had met four of five World Health Organisation (WHO) nutritional goals. Cases of stunted growth had declined from 35 per cent to 26 per cent, while exclusive breastfeeding improved from 32 per cent to 61 per cent.

The under-five mortality rate had declined from 115 to 52, translating to 30,000 children’s lives saved. Neonatal mortality had also dropped from 33 to 22 per 1,000 live births over the same period.

Due to Linda Mama, vaccination coverage for fully immunised children rose from 68 per cent to 76 per cent in 2013/14.

Maternal mortality also dropped from 488 to 362 per 100, 000, representing 2,000 mothers’ lives saved as primary healthcare use had increased from 69 per cent in 2013 to 77 per cent in 2016 as a result of foregone user fees.

For mothers to enjoy the services offered by the expanded programme, they were only required to produce their national identification card for registration, a guardian’s ID card or use of antenatal care records for those under 18 years old.

Under national insurer NHIF, Linda Mama ushered in a new two-phased benefit package for expectant mothers for the 2016/17 financial year, which included both outpatient and inpatient services for women and newborns.

That is why we commend plans to restore the programme. It is well known that the cost of healthcare is beyond the reach of low-income families. When breadwinners in particular are in poor health, many families are driven to penury. That is why government intervention is extremely necessary in promoting the health of the mothers of the nation.