Pregnant women queue for palm nut soup at prayer camp in Koforidua

It has emerged that some pregnant women in the New Juaben Municipality of the Eastern Region defy their conditions to join long queues for palm nut soup at a prayer camp (name withheld) in Koforidua, in their quest for ‘safe delivery’, instead of attending antenatal sessions.

The soup, they believe, possesses the spiritual potency to help them have a problem-free delivery.

The Medical Director of the Eastern Regional Hospital, Dr. Kwame Anim Boamah and a Senior Nursing Officer, Madam Doris Darkoa Mantey bemoaned the act and encouraged pregnant women to take their antenatal visits serious, since it is the proven way of ensuring the safety of both mother and the unborn child.

Madam Darkoa advised pregnant women to learn to balance spirituality with hospital visits instead of solely depending on the former.

"I'm not saying they shouldn't pray or seek spiritual advice, no! We all pray and I'm a Christian too, but pregnant women should take the hospital visits serious in order to have safe delivery". She said.

Madam Doris pleaded with pastors and spiritual leaders to also help advice pregnant women about the need for medical care whenever they seek their (spiritualist’s) council.

This came up during a discussion with GBC Sunrise FM’s Morning Show host, Mohammed Zunurene on the rate of Maternal Mortality in the Eastern Region.

The health officials expressed worry that about 50% of pregnant women do not get involved in antenatal care, which according to them, raises the number of maternal mortality in the Region.

The Eastern region recorded 61 maternal deaths out of 31,380 deliveries in the first half of 2017 compared to 58 deaths out of 30,945 deliveries within the same period last year.