Two hospitals in Kilifi County have received several benefits from the Pregnancy Care Integrating Translational Science Everywhere (PRECISE) project. This includes medical equipment, hospital infrastructure and capacity building of healthcare workers.
At Mariakani hospital, the project expanded the hospital laboratory by adding a microbiology section, lab staff room, and a manager’s office. Renovations in other laboratory sections were also done.
Rabai hospital received upgrades to the
Freezers and refrigerators provided by the PRECISE study to Mariakani and Rabai hospitals
laboratory power supply from single phase to three-phase power, repair and maintenance of the hospital generator, air conditioner installations in the laboratory, a roller-mixer, room thermoCmeters and improved lab furniture.
Both hospitals were equipped with two -800 and three -80 degrees Celsius freezers, two refrigerated centrifuges, and two refrigerators. These improvements are expected to increase research capacity and facilitate the provision of health services at the two hospitals.
Hon Peter Mwarogo, Kilifi County’s County Executive for Health and Sanitation Services, said, “I strongly believe in translating knowledge gained through research and using it in practice. We will continue working closely with the Aga Khan University to coalesce the information gathered with health policies to improve service delivery. My gratitude to the entire PRECISE team for the good work so far.”
The PRECISE study – hosted by the Aga Khan University - is a research programme that investigates various complications in pregnancy including high blood pressure in pregnancy, stillbirth, and poor growth of the baby before birth. The study collects data on various aspects of the pregnancy experience including a woman’s nutrition, living environment, socio-economic status and other factors that affect pregnancy outcomes.
Biological samples are also collected at various time points before and after pregnancy. The data and samples collected provide insights into pregnancy outcomes which in turn help understand pregnancy complications for effective prevention, treatment, and care during pregnancy and after delivery. Over 3,600 pregnant and 600 non-pregnant women participated in the study.
“The aim is a long-term pregnancy cohort whereby we continue to enroll pregnant mothers, their children, and their families, hopefully for the next 30 years and longer. The goal is to have a strong robust population-based platform to study health, social and environmental factors from conception to adult life,” said Prof Marleen Temmerman, Director of AKU’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, East Africa.
The success of PRECISE birthed the PRECISE-DYAD study. PRECISE-DYAD extends the PRECISE cohorts by continuing follow-up of the mother-child dyads (pairs) beyond pregnancy up to three years post-delivery. The PRECISE team now envisions a long-term impact of the study and seeks to focus on implementation research and interventions to improve pregnancy outcomes and long-term effects on women, children, and families.
PRECISE is a study funded by the UK Research and Innvoation (UKRI) Global Challenges Research fund. It is being conducted in Kenya, Mozambique, and the Gambia. In Kenya, the study is conducted as a partnership between the Aga Khan University and Kilifi County Department of Health.
