By Maryanne W. Waweru I maryanne@mummytales.com
About a month ago, I watched Kenyan mothers share the cost of giving birth in Kenya. This was on TikTok, where I remained glued for a couple of days as I listed to them disclose the amounts they paid to deliver their babies in different hospitals across the country.
The figures varied widely, from fees in public hospitals being as low as KSh 100, to bills as high as KSh 420,000 in private hospitals.
The differences in cost depended on several factors, including:
- Whether the delivery was vaginal or via caesarean section
- Whether the mother chose her own private doctors (gynaecologist and paediatrician)
- The type of room selected, such as a private room
- Any complications affecting the mother or baby
- Length of stay in hospital
- Use of private insurance
- Whether SHA or other schemes covered part of the costs
- How long ago the birth took place
Among the mothers who shared their costs were Wendy Gachara at MP Shah hospital, Nkatha Kobia at AAR, Dr. Selifa Kaira at Outspan Hospital in Nyeri, Cyancity_brands at Pumwani Hospital and her second at a private hospital, Teb at Nairobi Hospital, Davina at Nairobi West Hospital, ima at Avenue Hospital, and The Influenced Babe who shared the costs of her three births in different hospitals. Many other mothers shared their childbirth charges -both in private and public hospitals in the comments sections of these posts.
I found some of the charges shared by these mothers quite interesting, especially the itemised bills from private hospitals. One mother for example said she was billed KSh 350 per minute for theatre charges during her caesarean section. She spent 43 minutes in theatre.
Is safe motherhood becoming a luxury in Kenya?
The revelations by these Kenyan mothers sparked online datable, which spilled to other platforms including X and Facebook. People asked different questions:
“Has safe motherhood become a luxury in Kenya? Does having a ‘quality’ birth experience in Kenya mean digging deep into your pockets? Are Kenyan families paying for better maternal care, or are they simply paying for inflated pricing? Do higher costs translate to better maternal outcomes? Are hospitals transparent about billing? Also, why are many of these mothers on TikTok (who represent a significant portion of Kenyan mothers), delivering in private facilities instead of public ones? Have Kenyan mothers lost confidence in public hospitals and if yes, why so?”
“I was billed KSh 350 per minute for theatre charges.”
From the responses to these videos, many women thanked the mothers for openly sharing the delivery charges, especially pregnant mothers who were still hospital shopping. Women said the figures were quite eye-opening (and even frightening). Others who had thought they were ready to get pregnant indicated they were now rethinking their decisions, as they didn’t feel financially prepared anymore. Interesting, isn’t it?
Also read: What makes you scared to give birth again: Kenyan mothers share their reasons
My overall take is that these revelations highlight the need for decision-makers to work toward a system where every mother in Kenya can access respectful, quality maternity care without the crippling fear of hefty bills or a birth experience they do not consider ‘quality’. More importantly, Kenyan mothers need to regain confidence in the public health system because, from the comments and experiences shared, this confidence is clearly lacking.
Also read: 13 Kenyan mothers share their experiences with vaginal examinations (VE) during labour
What are your thoughts about this issue? If you are a Kenyan mother, how much did you pay for delivery? Was your delivery covered by insurance (NHIF/SHA/private), or did you pay out of pocket? Feel free to share in the comments section. If you’d like to elaborate more, you can reach me on maryanne@mummytales.com
Mummy Tales by Maryanne W. Waweru is a platform dedicated to empowering its readers on different aspects of womanhood and motherhood. Read more motherhood experiences of Kenyan moms here. Connect with Mummy Tales on: FACEBOOK l YOU TUBE l TWITTER
Featured image: Iwaria
