Wheels for Life

Background

The Wheels for Life project was started on the 28th April 2020 to respond to pregnancy-related medical emergencies at night during the curfew hours instructed by the Government of Kenya in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is currently a programme by a team of organizations volunteering to ensure pregnant women are able to call 1196 toll-free to talk to a doctor and if necessary, get free emergency transport to a suitable health facility for safe baby deliveries.

Expectant Women Experience Painful Pangs of Night Curfew

The 9pm to 5am curfew has created anxiety among pregnant women should labour ensue during these hours. The article -- in The Standard newspaper on 7th April 2020 listed the woes of women across the country. Some either deliver at home or walk miles to the nearest health facility due to unavailability of public transport.

To prevent an increase in the deaths of pregnant women and babies, there is a need to provide access to hospitals for women in labour present with obstetric emergencies, not only at night-time but always. A survey by KNBS on social economic impact due to the Covid19 pandemic shows an overall increase of 51.7% in the cost of transport on the most frequent routes in Kenya. It also indicates that 32% of people use walking as the means of transport.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Kenya Obstetric guidelines encourage delivery in a healthcare facility for all pregnant women to significantly reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. The global target as per sustainable development goal 3 (SDG 3) aims at reducing maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100 000 live births. In Kenya, the 2014 KDHS, recorded an estimate 362 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Statistics Updates

143,813

Total Calls

11,113

Mothers Assisted by Doctors

1,382

Total Cabs Dispatched

911 Emergency Ambulance Trips

*Statistics as at 30th November 2022

Our Videos

How it works

Patient calls the "1196" toll free number to talk to a Doctor

The Doctor advices the patient on how to handle the situation

The Doctor sends an Ambulance or a Cab to pick the patient

The patient is transported to the hospital

Why Wheels for Life Initiative

Significant reduced maternal morbidity and mortality.
Easy access and triage process for any pregnant woman in an emergency to use with the 1196 toll free line.
Convenient since it works during the curfew hours.
Collection of data which can inform decision making and government policy.
Saving a mother means saving a community and a nation.

Specific Objectives

Ensure the WHO recommended maternal care at all times especially in time of emergency.
Facilitate movement of pregnancy related emergency patients during curfew hours.
Establish a proper triage system for mothers through telemedicine to ensure mothers are taken to the right level of care (level 4,5,6).
Be a data collection point for maternal health care cases during Covid-19 pandemic.
Work with different partners and stakeholders to ensure easy flow of this programme for benefit of the public.
Create public awareness on the existence of this initiative to ensure care of implementation to general public through social media and main media houses.
To stimulate discussions and possible collaboration for the service to be available in other counties in Kenya.

Help us End Maternal Deaths

Can you partner with us? We are currently running this initiative on a voluntary basis and seek technical and financial support so that we can sustain the service and scale it. We are looking to avail safe transport convenient to support 3,000+ deliveries per month within Kenya. Currently, Wheels for Life is only available in Nairobi County. We can end preventable maternal deaths, but we can’t do it alone. Join us!

Donate

Join us to build a world and a Kenya where no mother dies during childbirth.

Are you in a pregnancy-related medical emergency?