Some medics near an incubator at Rachuonyo South Hospital in Oyugis town/Robert Omollo
Homa Bay County Government, in partnership with JHPIEGO, has established a newborn unit in Oyugis town aimed at reducing infant mortality and easing pressure on the Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The unit, located at Rachuonyo South Sub-County Hospital, is expected to serve newborns from Kabondo Kasipul, parts of Rangwe, and Karachuonyo constituencies. It also seeks to decongest the main neonatal unit at the county referral hospital.
Previously, newborns with complications such as prematurity, low birth weight, infections, and birth-related conditions were transferred to Homa Bay town for specialised care. Health officials say some infants died during the long transfer due to delays in accessing treatment.
Homa Bay records an infant mortality rate of 32 per 1,000 live births, a figure health experts say remains a major concern.
JHPIEGO says the new facility is part of efforts to strengthen maternal and newborn care and reduce preventable deaths. The organization notes that it has invested Sh30 million in improving maternal and infant health services in the county.
JHPIEGO Country Director Paul Nyachae said the project is designed to support government efforts and improve survival outcomes for newborns.
“The investment we have put in is meant to provide infant health and make sure none of the newborn dies. We encourage expectant mothers to go to the hospital for safe delivery,” Nyachae said.
Maria Ogayo and JHPIEGO official Paul Nyachae at the newborn unit section, Rachuonyo South Sub County Hospital in Oyugis town/Robert Omollo
The new unit is equipped with essential lifesaving machines, including newborn resuscitaires, incubators, phototherapy units with light meters, bilirubinometers, assisted vaginal delivery sets, oxygen concentrators, syringe pumps, portable monitoring equipment, and anthropometric tools.
Rachuonyo South Sub-County Hospital Nursing Director Rose Olumu said delays in emergency care during childbirth often worsen outcomes for newborns.
She said timely intervention is critical, especially for babies requiring immediate resuscitation or intensive care after birth.
“In the past, newborn babies would be put in an ambulance and taken to Homa Bay town which made medical services expensive. Such conditions have made women not go to hospital during delivery,” Olumu said.
She noted that such challenges have contributed to high neonatal deaths in the county.
Facility data shows that 929 babies were delivered in 2024, while 1,532 were delivered in 2025.
Homa Bay pediatrician Maria Ogaya said the county is still far from achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of reducing infant mortality. She said many deaths are preventable with improved access to specialized care.
“The establishment of the facility will be able to reduce the need for referrals and avert mortalities. Children will no longer die in ambulances due to hypothermia and failure by medical personnel to handle them,” Ogaya said.
Governor Gladys Wanga, who officiated the opening of the unit, said the facility is fully equipped and will significantly improve neonatal care in the region.
She said limited access to specialized services has long put mothers and newborns at risk.
“The newborn unit at Rachuonyo South hospital will improve the survival rate of infants. The partnership is a deliberate step to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality, hence no mother or child should die due to lack of specialized services,” Wanga said.
She added that the facility will improve management of premature babies and strengthen efforts to reduce preventable newborn deaths in the county.
