By Sharon Onyango
Siaya County has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the quality of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RNMCAH) services through the Huduma Poa Health Network.
The County Department of Health Services, in partnership with the Kisumu Medical and Education Trust (KMET), convened the Huduma Poa Health Network Progress Review Meeting to assess the network’s performance, identify gaps and develop an action plan for strengthening service delivery and sustainability.
The Huduma Poa Health Network is a social franchising model that brings together public and private health providers to expand access to quality and affordable healthcare services. The network supports delivery of key RNMCAH services, including antenatal care, skilled deliveries, immunisation, postnatal care, modern family planning, cervical and breast cancer screening, HIV testing and continuous capacity building for healthcare providers.
Discussions focused on facility performance, availability of commodities, referral systems and capacity to provide specialised services. Stakeholders also highlighted the need to strengthen mentorship and capacity building in postpartum family planning, post-partum intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUD) services and cervical cancer screening.
The meeting further underscored the important role of private-sector health providers in advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Participants called for stronger collaboration and coordination between the county government, private facilities and partners to improve access to quality healthcare.
Stakeholders were challenged to improve performance against agreed targets and indicators while sharing best practices from high-performing facilities across the network.
The meeting culminated in the development of an action plan outlining priority interventions to address identified gaps, strengthen mentorship, improve coordination and promote sustainability.
The County Department of Health Services and KMET reaffirmed their commitment to working with health providers and partners to strengthen the Huduma Poa Health Network and improve the quality of RNMCAH services for Siaya residents.