Ahafo Ano South DHMT steps up efforts to curb maternal mortality
The Ahafo Ano South District Health Management Team (DHMT) is implementing prudent and pragmatic measures to curb maternal mortality.
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The DHMT identified poor roads that hindered accessibility, delays on the part of expectant mothers and institutional delays, and inadequate human resource, as some of the challenges confronting maternal and infant health, as well as quality healthcare delivery in the district.
Addressing the problems
To address these problems, the DHMT has intensified public education to promote maternal health by organising workshops to train TBA’s and also appealed to stakeholders for assistance in addressing the major challenges.
The Ahafo Ano South District Director of Health Services, Mr Reuben Bedzrah, who announced this, said the district recorded six maternal deaths in 2011, one in 2012, and none in 2013.
He said the DHMT was working very hard to improve upon its record and maintain the record of not recording any maternal and infant death in the district.
Mr Bedzrah announced this at a ceremony to present certificates to 14 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) at Domeabrah in the Ahafo Ano District of Ashanti after a two-week training to sharpen their skills.
The TBAs were from Domeabrah, Biemso, Mpasaaso, and Wioso sub-district where TBA deliveries were said to be very high in the district.
The National Programmes Manager of the Catholic Health Service, Mr Peter, who was a special guest at the programme, said the DHMT, in collaboration with the National Catholic Health Services, through the Catholic Diocese of Goaso, has started a pilot scheme on measures geared towards winning the war against maternal mortality.
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Innovative strategies put in place
The project targets the training and supervision of 400 TBAs between 2013-2015 in the Ahafo-Ano South, Tano-North, Asutifi South, Asutifi North, Pru, East Gonja, and East Mamprusi districts.
The three-year scale-up intervention package, which is under the auspices of National Catholic Health Services and Cordaid/Nefkens in The Netherlands, comprise the training and supervision of TBAs, formation of safe motherhood clubs, and sponsorships and deployment of midwives to rural areas.
Nana Owusu Achiaw, the chief of Domeabrah who chaired the function commended the DHMT for its support towards improving quality healthcare delivery in the district and pledged the support of the traditional council to achieve the objective.