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Women in Gikomba, Majengo and surrounding neighbourhoods have long relied on referral facilities for maternity services, often travelling outside their communities to access skilled delivery care and specialised maternal health services.
The pressure on Nairobi’s maternity facilities has been a longstanding concern as growing demand, high patient volumes and overcrowding continue to strain healthcare resources.
Health experts have consistently noted that expanding services at community-level facilities is critical to improving access to care for mothers and newborns while easing congestion at referral hospitals.
To address growing demand for maternal healthcare services, Nairobi County has opened a fully operational 36-bed maternity wing at Pumwani Majengo Health Centre, bringing essential maternity care closer to residents of Majengo, Gikomba and surrounding areas.
The facility, which is accredited by the Social Health Authority (SHA), has already admitted its first mothers and newborns and is expected to reduce the burden on larger referral hospitals while improving access to safe and affordable maternal healthcare.
Speaking during the launch on Friday, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the new maternity wing forms part of the county’s wider efforts to strengthen primary healthcare and ensure residents can access essential services closer to where they live.
“This opening comes as Nairobi County continues to invest heavily in strengthening primary healthcare facilities and bringing essential medical services closer to residents,” said Sakaja.
Besides maternity care, the health centre offers outpatient consultations, laboratory services, pharmacy services, tuberculosis screening and treatment, HIV comprehensive care services and maternal and child health programmes.
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The launch comes just weeks after Pumwani Maternity Hospital received national recognition for reducing maternal deaths, a development county officials attribute to investments in healthcare infrastructure, staffing and emergency maternal care.
Health workers at the facility welcomed the new services, noting that timely access to skilled delivery care plays a critical role in reducing maternal and infant deaths.
County Executive Committee Member for Health and Nutrition Suzanne Silantoi urged expectant mothers in Majengo, Gikomba and neighbouring estates to register for maternal healthcare services and utilise the new facility.
“Every mother deserves access to safe and affordable maternity care near where they live. The opening of these services at Pumwani Majengo Health Centre is another step towards ensuring healthier mothers, healthier babies and a healthier Nairobi,” said Silantoi.
County officials said the facility is now fully operational and open to the public, with the new maternity unit expected to improve access to quality maternal healthcare for thousands of families living in and around the busy Gikomba area.
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