Pregnant women in Migori County, a rural, marginalized region of Kenya, have limited access to prenatal healthcare services. It’s why Migori is one of 10 Kenyan counties (out of 47 total) that account for 90% of the country’s maternal deaths. Improving that grim statistic is the aim of a project funded by a grant from the GE HealthCare Foundation to Lwala Community Alliance. The project will deliver training on the use of obstetric ultrasound to 28 public healthcare facilities in Migori.
“The World Health Organization and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics recommend ultrasound examinations for all pregnant women,” says Abigail Epane-Osuala, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer and HR strategic initiatives for GE HealthCare, and vice president of the GE HealthCare Foundation. “However, the low supply of machines and even lower availability of sonographers leaves the majority of women in Migori without this care.”
Empowering Maternal Health: The GE HealthCare Foundation's Commitment to Healthcare Equity
The GE HealthCare Foundation is a new charitable organization incorporated separately from GE HealthCare to advance equitable access to precision healthcare globally by funding innovative social impact initiatives aimed at making healthcare more accessible, personal, human, and flexible. The Foundation, which receives 100% of its funding from GE HealthCare, is a testament to more than a century of commitment to philanthropy. After GE HealthCare’s spin-off from GE in 2023, establishing an independent charitable foundation became a top priority, honoring GE’s rich legacy of giving back to communities.
As it launches this year, the GE HealthCare Foundation is focusing initially on a single area to maximize the impact of its grant funding: global maternal health. The Foundation is working to address critical gaps in healthcare access and delivery by leveraging GE HealthCare’s expertise in medical technology and maternal care, with initial grants going to projects in Kenya, Indonesia, and the United States, in regions impacted by large disparities in maternal healthcare.
“It’s shocking to know that in the United States, Black mothers are three times more likely to die while giving birth than white mothers. For vulnerable women abroad, it’s even more dismal. Fostering a world where all moms are safe and our babies are cared for is one that requires swift action,” says Epane-Osuala. “The GE HealthCare Foundation is taking its first steps into putting philanthropic dollars behind these causes and encouraging others to join us. We must commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice, equity, and dignity for all mothers.”
The Foundation’s grantee in Kenya, Lwala Community Alliance — a nonprofit dedicated to building the capacity of rural communities in Kenya to advance their own comprehensive well-being — is providing training as well as several ultrasound machines, which are vital for identifying high-risk conditions during pregnancy. Studies have shown that ultrasound technology also engages fathers, making them more likely to participate in both prenatal and antenatal appointments, which also contribute to better health outcomes for mothers and babies.
Expanding Prenatal Care Access in Kenya by Training Nurses and Enhancing Collaboration
Until now, the limited number of trained sonographers in Kenya has made it difficult to perform scans for all pregnant women, even if a machine happens to be available. Therefore, the GE HealthCare Foundation’s project with Lwala Community Alliance includes funds not only to develop a curriculum and train more than 50 nurses and clinical officers to conduct ultrasound screenings, but also to research how tasks can be shared among nurses and sonographers without sacrificing quality of care. Referrals to sonographers will be made for further investigation as needed, and certified sonographers will provide ongoing mentorship and support to the newly trained healthcare providers. The expected result is a dramatic increase in the number of high-risk pregnancies identified and supported early in the gestation period.
“This holistic approach, combining technology, training, and advocacy, is essential for achieving sustainable improvements in healthcare access and better outcomes for mothers and babies,” says Ash Rogers, co-CEO of Lwala Community Alliance.
Lwala Community Alliance workers
Increasing Ultrasound Access to Reduce Delays in Care
Ensuring there are adequate supplies of ultrasound machines and trained technicians to operate them won’t just bring health benefits to mothers. It will also help build trust in Kenya’s healthcare system.
“Too frequently, people have been met at facilities with long wait times, stockouts of essential medicines, and inadequately trained staff, which makes them hesitant to seek services,” says Rogers. “When people reach a facility that cannot provide high-quality, dignified care, it further harms the trust communities have in health systems. As a result, households delay seeking care and face many barriers to quality service when they do reach a health facility.”
The collaboration between the GE HealthCare Foundation and Lwala Community Alliance will “examine the whole chain of events that needs to happen to ensure a healthy pregnancy and birth, and that means ensuring government health facilities are well equipped and well supported, so we can bring women into these facilities and guarantee they receive high-quality care,” Rogers adds.
The Broader Impact of the Lwala Project: Advancing Healthcare Through Research and Dissemination
The Lwala project also calls for a rigorous research study to assess the effectiveness of the training and increased use of prenatal ultrasound. The study will investigate workforce gaps, training needs, curriculum development, and necessary policy changes for implementing ultrasound services. Results will be published and disseminated to the Kenyan government, as well as shared with partner networks to contribute to improvements in ultrasound services and maternal healthcare policy in Kenya and beyond.
“Changing outcomes requires collaboration across sectors,” Epane-Osuala says. “That’s the approach our newly formed GE HealthCare Foundation is taking as we tackle issues of access to precision care. As vice president of the Foundation, I am grateful that our first focus is on improving maternal and infant care outcomes, working directly with leading nonprofits on the ground in vulnerable communities.”
Find more initiatives like this one on GE HealthCare's Sustainability Report.
