Roslyn Damalie (middle) with three staff and the Sɔhɛfia of Alavanyo Wudidi, Torgbe Amlado (right)
THIS ARTICLE talks about Roslyn Damalie, a midwife at Alavanyo Wudidi Health Centre in the Hohoe Municipal District of the Volta Region of Ghana, who has rendered 15 years of selfless health service to mother Ghana.
Being passionate to save lives, Roslyn Damalie began her profession as a trained nurse after she graduated from the Ho Nursing Training School in 1988 in the Volta Region. After years of hard work and dedication in clinics and hospitals with track records of successes, she quickly recognised a big challenge in the labour ward. However, in order to achieve her goal of saving newborns, Roslyn developed interest in the neonates – babies who are not healthy after delivery. So she nursed a determination to assist expectant mothers give birth to healthy babies. Such a goal challenged her to begin a career in midwifery in 2006 after which she graduated in 2007 with success.
Roslyn was posted to the Alavanyo Wudidi Health Centre in 2008, where she has served the community for almost 15 years.
Alavanyo Wudidi Community Clinic is a government health centre which offers general services to the indigenes of Alavanyo and adjoining communities. Alavanyo comprises seven communities. Due to poor maternity services in the communities at Alavanyo, pregnant women are forced to travel to Hohoe or Kpando, to access maternity care. Such adventures, sometimes, unfortunately claim lives of the unborn babies or their mothers.
Nicknamed Madam Midwife, Roslyn is the longest serving midwife in Alavanyo, even at the time when the violent conflict between Nkonya and Alavanyo was reignited. Recounting her story, she stated, “Coming here was a tug-of-war, but I think the people here needed services so I came here purposely to render services to mankind. Initially, I didn’t want to come because, those days, there was some violent clashes between this town and Nkonya. So, I was very scared, I thought when I come, I will not go back again, maybe something will happen to me. But I had the confidence in my God that He would protect me. So that made me stay till this time.”
Interestingly, for the past 15 years of hard work in Alavanyo, Madam Midwife had no casualties recorded, all the child deliveries she supervised were all successful. “By God’s grace, none of the cases I handled as a midwife has recorded any deaths. Also, I have not registered any stillbirths since 2008 to date, maybe because I’m able to refer them on time to Hohoe or Kpando Margaret Marquette Hospital. I’m blessed and I believe this is by the grace of God.” She said her happiest moments were when she helped expectant mothers to deliver bouncing babies.
However, due to the lack of qualified health workers at the facility, Madam Midwife plays multiple roles i.e. she performs the role of a doctor, consultant, pediatrician, pharmacist, accountant, psychologist and even the security woman at the centres. She also recounted why health workers are not willing to work in the facility for the fear of losing their lives due to the unrest in the community. “At times, you would be here and be hearing gunshots, then they will be rushing people to the facility for first aid. Sometimes we are not able to take care of them due to lack of drugs so we have to refer them to Hohoe and Kpando Hospital.”
Madam Midwife is one of the few people who took the risk to live in a fragile community, show love for humanity by assisting to save the lives of residents of Alavanyo in spite of the odds. She said she believed God has sent her on a mission and therefore, that is exactly what she wants to fulfil.
While many midwives and nurses have shied away from working at some hospitals and health centres across Ghana due to the difficult working conditions and their remote locations, Madam Midwife has persevered.
According to her, she will continue to pursue her career in this challenging setting which of course includes the deplorable nature of the facility, inadequate infrastructure, lack of medical equipment, invasion of bats, and the lack of qualified health workers, among others, in order to protect and save the lives of poor expectant mothers and their newborns.
The difficult living conditions in Alavanyo have scared most midwives posted there away, most of who do not stay long at post. Some, when they report to the facility and see the situation there, refuse or fail to work, constantly denying the facility the requisite staff to attend to the healthcare needs of the people of Alavanyo. It is as a result of such challenges that Madam Midwife said she foregoes her holidays just to work and save lives.
“If I take a break for a day, things will go haywire. I have committed myself to do this willy-nilly but fact is, this facility needs an extension – adequate infrastructure – delivery ward, OPD, RCH unit, ICT laboratory, CHIPS Compound, beds, drugs, medical equipment, etc. and qualified health workers in order to provide good health deliveries to the people of Alavanyo,” Madam Midwife has appealed.
She hopes the district, regional and national health authorities, and also corporate organisations will LISTEN TO HER story, and do something about the challenging situation at the Alavanyo Wudidi Health Centre by ensuring that health professionals posted there do not go there only to turn their backs on the people, and also do well to provide the needed medical supplies and equipment to serve the people better.
BY Godwin Dzigbanu