The Begoro District Hospital, in collaboration with Reducing Maternal Mortality& Mobility (r3M), has launched a family planning campaign in the Fanteakwa District capital, Begoro, in the Eastern Region.
The programme coordinator of r3M, Millicent Anum, underscored the purpose of the launching, saying it is to create awareness for people to participate in the family planning programme to help reduce maternal deaths, unintended pregnancies, teenage pregnancy an unsafe abortion.
According to the District Director of Ghana Health Services (GHS), Dr Christian Nyarko Aduama, maternal death has been a burden to the district and in effort to reduce these maternal and neonatal deaths, the PICCAM strategy had been initiated to ensure that no woman would die whilst giving life.
He said in 2014, the district recorded three maternal deaths, four deaths in 2015, whilst within the first half of 2016, the district recorded two maternal deaths.
Dr Aduama mentioned that the first strategy which can help reduce maternal deaths is the family planning strategy, adding, “Family planning services include the provision of education, methods and practices to space births, limit family size and prevent unintended pregnancies.”
He disclosed that some of the objectives of the family planning programme are to assist couples and individuals of all ages to achieve their reproductive health and also to improve women’s health in general, especially to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and to contribute to reducing infant and child morbidity and mortality.
“In the year 2014, the family planning coverage in the district was 30.3 percent, 2015 was 23.3 percent, whilst the first half of this year, 2016 recorded 22 percent. This clearly shows that the family planning acceptors rate in the district is relatively low. Therefore, the support of r3M (Reducing Maternal Mortality and Morbidity). Their support is training health personnel to provide services, support of durbars and creating awareness on family planning and lastly subsidising all family planning commodities and services to GH¢1.00,” Dr Aduama.
These services are provided in three facilities in the district which are Begoro Hospital, Adolescent and Reproductive Health Unit and Osino Health Centre.
From Daniel Bampoe, Begoro