Mothers and newly born babies at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) have been compelled to use on bare floor due to the lack of beds at the facility.
A visit to the facility by DGN Online saw mothers breastfeeding their babies on the bare floor while receiving treatment.
The maternity ward of the hospital which takes about 50 patients has only 22 beds at the ward.
The situation has forced mothers who go there to seek medical care to resort to lying on the bare floor.
Madam Fuseini Nusurat, a mother told DGN Online that the lack of beds situation is a worry to mothers especially during this Covid-19 pandemic.
According to her, mothers and the babies can be infected with diseases due to mothers lying on the bare floor.
“ Because mothers are lying on the bare movement in the ward is very difficult and also due to the movement dust and other things can affect the mothers and the babies.”
Another mother, Sulemana Nafisah told DGN Online that lying on the floor gives them waist pains and other health challenges.
She expressed worry that her baby may be infected with diseases even though they are in a health facility where their health should be guaranteed.
“ The floor is cold and my baby is lying on the floor so he can be infected with some diseases.”
The mothers appealed to government, philanthropist, NGOs and other institutions come to the aid of the Tamale teaching hospital and provide them with beds to enhance health delivery.
Madam Adam Zenab , a Senior Midwifery Officer at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, told DGN Online that they have no choice than to allow the mothers lie on the bare floor due to the lack of beds in the ward.
“ We are not happy to see nursing mothers on the floor but we are just tied up we don’t have enough beds here.”
According to her, the facility is overwhelmed with women who visit the facility to deliver their babies and called on government to expand and provide beds to be able to hand the numbers at the maternity ward.
The Tamale Teaching hospital is a referral facility for the five regions of the north and some parts of Oti region.
SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goal three (SDG-3), of which Ghana is a signatory, is about ensuring healthy lives and the promotion of the well-being of all at all ages.
The SDG-3, estimates that by 2030, global maternal mortality ratio should reduce to less than 70 per 100,000 live births, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-five mortality to as low as 25 per 1,000 live births and achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale