Health workers contribute to rising maternal mortality - Dr Abebrese

Sunyani, July 1, GNA - Dr Jacob Abebrese, Medical Director at the Regional Hospital in Sunyani, has said that negligence and irresponsible behaviour of some health workers contribute greatly to rising maternal mortality in Ghana.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani about the increasing rate of maternal deaths, he said the issue needed to be critically looked towards finding lasting solutions. According to him, lack of infrastructure and medical personnel should not be tolerated as an excuse at the expense of pregnant women and that "the little we have need to be managed well to ensure good delivery system to mothers.

"Workload and lack of motivation also do not come in at all but rather change of attitude on the part of my colleagues to ensure that mothers have confidence in us during delivery", he said. Dr Abebrese, however, admitted that there were some circumstances that led to such cases that could not be avoided but added that majority of the cases could be curtailed. He said the Regional Hospital alone last year recorded 23 cases and this year it had recorded eight, explaining that the situation put fear in pregnant women, especially when due to deliver. "If women are now afraid to get pregnant because they fear to die during delivery, then it is a serious problem. The health sector is more concerned about maternal mortality issues than any other health issue and is doing everything possible to reduce its incidence", the Regional Director added. Dr Abebrese mentioned infection, excessive bleeding and rupture of the uterus as some of the major causes of maternal deaths, but said even with this some deaths could be avoided. He said a lot could be done to save the situation if care and attention was paid to pregnant women during their visit to antenatal clinic, adding the blood pressure and urine of pregnant women should not just be checked but also their history to be followed closely and be referred to specialists if necessary for further treatment. The Regional Director said the ineffectiveness of Community Base Health Planning Service (CHIPS) was another factor to the issue and explained that CHIPS was to ensure that pregnant women in the community were encouraged to attend antenatal early for advice. Dr Abebrese noted that pregnant women were vulnerable to all diseases and that they should not be delayed at home when their time was due. 1 July 10