First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo making the presentation
The First Lady and Head of The Rebecca Foundation, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has called for more focus and attention on the pre-conception and inter-conception stages of maternal care.
Mrs Akufo-Addo made this known when she handed over a renovated and refurbished maternity ward facility at the Bawjiase Health Centre to the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
She revealed that paying attention to maternal health issues can help in early identification of health conditions in babies and even foetuses that can prevent death or disability and help babies reach their full abilities and potential.
“Pregnancies can serve as an indicator in identifying health risks in women such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, genetic conditions amongst other things and this can help in the prevention of future health risks for both mothers and their children,” Mrs Akufo-Addo stated.
Referring to Sustainable Development Goal 3, which sets target for reducing maternal mortality rate to less than 70 per 100,000 live births, she added that “though there were significant declines to this effect, statistics show that approximately 830 women die a day during child birth.”
“This is one of the reasons why President Akufo-Addo government’s initiative of spearheading ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ to find the right resources to solve our own problems is especially commendable. If we all contribute to this initiative in our own small ways, it will positively impact every part of our lives,” the first lady disclosed.
Mrs Akufo-Addo also donated one incubator, five hospital beds, one delivering bed, one patient medical table, 10 gowns and one medical cabinet.
The rest include 10 complete delivery systems, 10 advanced wound dressing materials, five pressure bed sheets and 10 bed pans.
Touching on the need for the exhibition of professional conduct by health professionals, she said, “The tales of pregnant women and their babies who have died during childbirth due to the apparent negligence of present health professionals present is sadly rampant.”
She commended the Member of Parliament (MP) for Awutu Senya West and Deputy Minister of Communications, Nenyi George Andah, for ensuring that the needs of patients are of prime importance by assisting to renovate and refurbish the ward.
The equipment, she indicated, “Will immensely improve the standards of healthcare delivery in the center and will further contribute to elevate the status of this health centre to a polyclinic as promised by the government.”
Concluding, she commended government for making provisions to post a permanent resident doctor to the facility and appealed to the management and staff to make good use of the equipment supplied.
Mr Andah was optimistic that the current renovations and posting of a permanent resident medical doctor would go a long way to improve the health of patients.
He expressed the hope of achieving the goal of elevating the status of the health centre into a poly clinic in the near future.
The MP appealed to all staff of the facility to ensure that there is a proper programme to maintain the standards that have been set.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri