Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Project (PAMANECH)

Project Period

July 2012 - June 2016

Project Partners

  • Comic Relief, UK

The rapid urbanization in Kenya at an annual rate of 4% has been characterized by the mushrooming of urban informal settlements in the last two decades. The public healthcare systems have not been able to keep up with this rapid growth thus have not been able to cater for the health needs of those in the informal settlements. Private health facilities have therefore come up to help fill this gap. PAMANECH is a project that aims to strengthen the infrastructure of selected private, not-for-profit health facilities already operating in Viwandani and Korogocho, two such informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya.

PAMANECH is a project being implemented in two slums in Nairobi namely Viwandani and Korogocho. The main objective of PAMANECH is to assess the impact of strengthening public-private partnership for the delivery of health care on the health of mothers, newborns and young children. The project will strengthen the infrastructure of selected Private Not for Profit health facilities that already operate in the two slums, provide training opportunities for staff working at these facilities and provide supportive supervision from the local district health authorities. By doing this, PAMANECH aims to increase the number of health facilities offering high quality and lifesaving health care to the slum population who will offer both preventive and curative service at convenient times for the slums residents including weekends and late night when most mothers and caregivers return from their days jobs.

Support services include a network of community health workers to identify and refer mothers and children in need of health care and a night-escort service run by youth groups to accompany any woman or family that need medical attention in the middle of the night or when it is not safe to access health services.

 

Partners

  • Area chiefs and other community leaders of Korogocho and Viwandani locations
  • Sub-County Health Management Teams of Ruaraka, Kasarani and Makadara sub-Counties
  • Department of Public Health in the City Council of Nairobi
  • Selected Private-Not-for-Profit health providers
  • World Friends (Ruaraka Uhai Neema Hospital)
  • Kenya Paediatrics Association

Project period

  • July 2012 to June 2016