UNICEF donates to health institutions in Accra

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has donated maternal and neonatal health equipment and accessories worth US$140,000 to the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate for distribution to health institutions in Ashaiman, Agbogbloshie and Taifa.

The equipment includes three oxygen concentrators, six radiant warmers, bubble continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) machines, three patient monitors, a pulse oximeter, anaesthesia machines, photography machines and delivery beds.

The fund has been concerned about improving delivery of essential health services in areas such as immunisation, maternal health, newborn and child health, labour, nutrition, water and sanitation (WASH) in the Greater Accra Region, hence the donation of the equipment.

Presentation

Presenting the items to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) yesterday, the Country Representative of UNICEF, Ms Ann Claire-Dufey, commended the service and, especially, the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate for their efforts to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and ensuring that there was continuity in the routine delivery of essential health services.

She said essential services, although critical, were often affected during pandemic situations, leading to women and children, especially, being denied life-saving interventions.

“In that context, UNICEF has been supporting the efforts the Ministry of Health and the GHS were making to maintain access to and strengthen the quality of essential health services, including immunisation, maternal and newborn and child health and nutrition, as well as WASH,” she said.

She said UNICEF had provided more than 1,000 hand-washing stations to various health institutions nationwide and also supported the training of health workers on infection prevention and control.

“UNICEF will continue to provide technical support for the regional health directorate to establish planned newborn care units. We are confident that with our collective effort and collaboration towards improving nutrition services and WASH in health facilities, the quality of care for women and children will continue to improve.

“The organisation also maintains its commitment to support the regional health directorate to fulfil the rights of children to health and nutrition. Let’s together make sure we leave no one behind,” Ms Claire-Dufey said.

Gratitude

The Greater Accra Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Mrs Charity Sarpong, received the equipment and expressed her gratitude to UNICEF and other development partners for their continued support to the directorate.

She assured the donors that the items would be put to good use and maintained to ensure that they served their purpose.

She said the medical supplies were essential and would go a long way to support the regional health directorate in its ongoing efforts to restore routine health services, which suffered setbacks due to the COVID-19, since the region was the worst affected.

Dr Sarpong said the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the directorate’s 2020 plan to strengthen healthcare systems in the region.

She said the directorate had put in place pragmatic measures to return routine health services back to full strength, ensure continuity and improve on service delivery.

“The first quarter has not been so impressive because of the complex nature of the pandemic. But there is no cause for alarm; we are on course to dealing with the situation and we ask you to be on the look out for our performance from now till the close of the year,” she said.

Writer’s email doreen.anod@graphic.com.gh