SEND-Ghana, stakeholders discuss safe motherhood

Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes). The MMR includes deaths during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, for a specified year.

Goal Five of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) that ended last year, tasked countries to reduce maternal mortality by 75 per cent by the close of 2015. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) trends in maternal mortality indicate that Ghana’s MMR reduced from 320/100,000 in 2011 to 319/100,000 live births in 2015.

Study in three regions

With the support of the European Union and Christian Aid, SEND-Ghana, in partnership with District Citizens Monitoring Committees (DCMCs), conducted a study in the three northern regions — Northern, Upper East, Upper West regions. The findings of the study unveiled in Accra in December last year concluded that Ghana, as a nation, had a lot to do to reduce maternal mortality, not just as a quest to achieve MDG 5 that relates to reducing maternal mortality, but also as an important human right that should be afforded every woman who goes through maternity.

At a stakeholders meeting in Accra on Tuesday, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SEND West Africa, Mr Siapha Kamara, said the inequality in the distribution of health infrastructure and social intervention programmes in the health sector ought to be reversed, stressing that, “The NHIS must be a pro-poor policy that will benefit specific groups of people such as women, the extreme poor, and persons with disability”.

Meeting

The meeting, on the theme, “Making Safe Motherhood a Reality,” brought together stakeholders in the health sector, including personnel from the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Ghana Health Service (GHS), and traditional leaders. The stakeholders discussed how to improve maternal health in the country.

Mr Kamara observed that the delay in the release of money to the district health facilities by the NHIA to cater for expectant mothers and needy people, inadequate health facilities and inefficient systems, were among the factors that accounted for maternal mortality.

Presenting the results of a community engagement from four regions, comprising the Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions, a researcher at SEND Ghana, Mr John Nkaw, accused some health personnel of charging unapproved fees in the three northern regions.

He said the situation undermined the policy of the NHIS to provide free medical care for expectant mothers.

NHIS revamped

The Regional Director of the NHIA, Mr Lawrence Amartey, said there was a direct relationship between proper access to NHIS by expectant mothers, and maternal mortality.

He said the introduction of biometric registration by the NHIA had made it possible for pregnant women to register and collect their cards instantly to seek antenatal services.

Appeal

The Paramount Queenmother of Mankessim Traditional Area, Nana Ama Amissah III, who chaired the meeting, appealed to the government to provide good road network, quality health facilities and health education to expectant mothers in order to improve on maternal health.

The Head of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministry of Health, Mr Daniel Dogbetse, said the issue of maternal mortality ought to be tackled with an integrated approach.

“While the government and the Ministry of Health will do their part to supply material and human resources to all health centres in the country, communities and pregnant women need to also develop the habit of seeking prompt health care, “he said.