Paulina Patience Abayage
The Bongo District Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service in the Upper East Region recorded zero maternal death in 2018.
This was announced at an event that marked the International Women’s Day celebration in Bongo.
DAILY GUIDE has gathered that the zero maternal death situation has not changed since January and the health authorities are working hard to ensure its sustainability.
The health directorate said there had been a deliberate effort at increasing awareness across the district on the need for all pregnant women to visit a health facility for professional antenatal services.
There has also been an increase in the number of Community-based Health Planning and Service Compounds (CHPS Compounds) in the district, thereby bringing healthcare closer to the people than before.
Upper East Regional Minister Paulina Patience Abayage, who was at the International Women’s Day Seminar on “Zero Maternal Death”, praised the Bongo Health Directorate as well as the Bongo District Hospital for effectively collaborating to achieve the result.
She was happy with the Bongo District Assembly for the construction and renovation of more CHPS compounds, to reduce the distance pregnant women have to travel on bicycles and motorbikes to the hospital.
Like many development-oriented leaders, Madam Abayage also believes that ensuring a timely and quality healthcare delivery in recent times is a shared responsibility across the world, and Ghana and its communities will have to accept that fact and get people on board to ensure that no community is left behind.
She said the government is committed to improving the health sector to ensure quality services and maternal healthcare remained an integral part of the effort.
“We all know that on many occasions, access to some critical healthcare services has been constrained due to the distance to health facilities or financial constraints. There are also the problem of low literacy rates amongst women and also the continuous practice of some old traditional norms that limit women from attending health facilities until they get approval,” she indicated.
Regional Director of Health Services Dr. Wilfred Ofosu said there is still some level of ‘restriction’ of pregnant women from seeking antenatal and postnatal services in the name of ‘culture’. He appealed to traditional authorities to lead the crusade to stop such culture.
FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bongo