14 Women die from rupture of uterus

Rupture of the uterus has become a common cause of mortality among pregnant women in the Upper West Region.

Records indicate that between March 1999, and March, this year, 14 out of 35 pregnant women with ruptured uterus who were admitted at the Wa Regional Hospital died.

Dr Serafin Palmas Mora, Cuban Obstetric and Gynaecology Specialist at the Wa Regional Hospital, attributed most of the ruptured uterus of pregnant women in the region to the use of herbal concoction.

He said 22 out of the 35 ruptured uterus victims were only rushed to the Wa Hospital for treatment, when their health conditions deteriorated, after "their trusted herbalists" had failed them.

Dr Mora was speaking at a scientific health forum at Wa at the weekend to review the performance of Cuban medical doctors in the Upper West Region over the years and to explore ways of improving health care delivery in the region.

The forum was attended by 20 Cuban doctors, 17 in the Upper West Region, and three from the Bole District of the Northern Region. According to Dr Mora, 23 out of the 35 babies delivered by women with the ruptured uterus problem died from complications.

He called for intensive educational campaigns in the rural communities on integrated health care delivery and pregnant women in particular.

Dr Mora stressed the need for improvement in the economic status of the general population and the establishment of community-based obstetric services under the care of well-trained health personnel to provide supervisory role and prompt referral to the base hospital.

He also called for massive educational campaign through public address systems, television, and radio stations as well as newspapers as a way of eradicating or minimising the use of local herbal preparations for treatment on pregnant women.

When contacted, Dr Francis Bankah, Regional Director of Health Services, confirmed the story and explained that rupture of the uterus means as a woman goes into labour, the uterus (womb) contracts at regular intervals to expel the baby through the birth canal.

If for some reason this is not possible, as for example, if the size of the baby is too big or it is lying abnormally or if the uterus had been operated upon previously and the baby cannot come out, the uterus will burst and the baby will come out into the abdominal cavity and this results in severe bleeding which can lead to death if the woman is not rushed to hospital.

The delay in sending victims to hospital when the delivery is difficult and the herbal concoction taken for hours can cause infection to the uterus.

Dr Rodolfo Martinez Arias, who presented a paper on the study of general mortality at the Wa Regional Hospital, said out of a total of 467 deaths recorded at the hospital last year, malaria topped with 78 cases followed by anaemia - 39, diarrhoea - 29 and CSM, 24 cases.

He attributed the cause of most of the deaths in the region which could have been prevented to the patients' inability to buy drugs to counteract the diseases. Dr Arias called for co-operation between Cuban doctors and their Ghanaian counterparts and nurses to ensure effective health care delivery services in the region.

Dr Banka commended the efforts of Cuban doctors in promoting health delivery services in the country and urged Ghanaians to change their negative perception towards them in their own interest.

He said the only limitations of the Cuban doctors is communication barrier which needs to be improved. Dr Banka entreated Ghanaian doctors to team up with their Cuban colleagues to review the documents the Cuban doctors have produced so that they could be published.

Other speakers at the forum chaired by Dr Edward Gyader, Medical superintendent in charge of the Wa Regional Hospital, included Dr Geovanus Delisle, head of Cuban Medical Brigade in Ghana.