A mother with her newborn baby
The zero maternal mortality policy of the Shai-Osudoku District Hospital at Akyikuma in the Greater Accra Region has yielded results, with the health facility recording no deaths related to child birth in the past five years.
Although the district hospital recorded an annual delivery of over 2,000 cases last year with an average of 100 surgeries a month, the management’s commitment to the cause of ensuring that no pregnant woman brought to the hospital dies is achieving results.
Speaking with the DAILY GUIDE, the Medical Director of Shai-Osudoku District Hospital, Dr Kennedy Brighton, cited strong leadership, positive attitude of workers and availability of equipment as the major contributory factors to the success of maternal health at the hospital.
“We had a general policy to put a rural hospital on the map of Africa in terms of excellent services. Our vision is to be the best in Africa or one of the best in Africa but when we started most of the women from the surrounding villages were dying and the beginning was difficult,” he said.
Dr Brighton mentioned that through implementation of interventions like frequent pregnancy schools, community outreaches, screening for early detection of pregnancy related diseases like pre-eclampsia and blood-saving system at the hospital, the lives of women are secured before, during and after pregnancy.
“Another policy is to catch the blood pressure young when a pregnant woman’s BP is high we do not let you go till we are sure it has reduced and even that they have to report back to the hospital in five days,” he disclosed.
Dr Brighton told the DAILY GUIDE that its blood system policy which ensures that at least 10 units of blood is available at the maternity unit under any circumstances has helped in averting deaths related to bleeding during and after child birth.
“We also teach the midwives and the women who come here are not shouted at or asked why they have delayed in coming to the hospital because we are bent on saving women from dying in this hospital because when a woman dies a whole family dies,” he added.
Dr Brighton was optimistic that if management of other hospitals within the region undertakes the same approach, the idea of no maternal deaths will be a reality in the Greater Accra Region, which is recording the highest maternal mortality in the country.
The Greater Accra Region recorded the highest maternal deaths in 2016, with bleeding and hypertension being the leading causes, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) reports stated.
According to the GHS, the region last year recorded 197 cases, with 100 of them attributed to bleeding, the figure representing 180.4 per 100,000 live births.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri