‘Ghana can reduce its maternal, child deaths’
The Deputy Director General (DDG) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Mrs Gloria Quansah Asare, says the country can reduce its high maternal and child mortality rate if the right measures are put in place at health facilities.
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She says there is the need for more collaboration among health facilities with close proximity, as well as the institutionalisation of proper referral methods to forestall any delay during childbirth.
The DDG said this at a breakfast meeting with obstetrics and gynaecologists, paediatric family physicians and heads of health facilities in the Greater Accra Region.
Organised by the Greater Accra Regional Directorate of Health Services, the meeting was aimed at celebrating the successes of health facilities in the region, as well as identifying and using their strengths and opportunities to the benefit of their clientele.
The meeting, also aimed at rebranding the image of the health profession, was to identify the weaknesses and threats in the various health facilities and come up with strategies to turn these weaknesses around.
According to Dr Quansah Asare, the health sector could be greatly improved if the professionals in it worked as a team.
Maternal audits
She also called on the heads of health facilities to institute maternal death audits as part of their routine work so as to get updated on the trend of death to help in making informed decisions to forestall it.
She said although the health sector was currently facing financial constraints, with the right attitude and commitment to work, they could help reduce maternal and infant deaths in their various facilities.
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The Greater Accra Regional Director of Health, Dr Linda Vanotoo, said there was the need for the health sector in the region to reorganise itself to ensure that all public facilities had, at least, a resident doctor.
According to her, since the region has over 300 doctors and a host of other health professionals, measures must be put in place to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of those professionals across facilities.
She called on those present at the meeting to educate their staff, especially gatemen and nurses, to desist from turning away pregnant women who called at their facilities.
She said such decisions must be made after a certified doctor had attended to the pregnant woman before she could be referred.
Writer's email: rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh