Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health meets on MDGs

The Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health has met in Ho to discuss the Millennium Acceleration Framework Project.

The project seeks to test strategies to help accelerate progress at country level on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which seemed unachievable by the 2015 deadline.

The Coalition is focusing on MDG-5 on the reduction of pregnancy related deaths.

It seeks to reduce maternal mortality in Ghana by 75 per cent from 1990 and 2015, from 451 per 1,000 births to 185.

The NGO is piloting the strategies in Keta Municipality, South-Dayi and Agotime-Ziope districts.

Mr Victor Ntumi, Executive Director of African Rural Women Empowerment in Business, who made this known to Ghana News Agency, called for collaborative efforts to facilitate the reduction of maternal mortality.

He observed that shortage of skilled professional midwives and hospitals are major obstacles to achieve the MDG-5.

Mr Ntumi said by World Health Organisation’s standards, there should be five hospitals to cater for 2,000 people, which means that there should be 53 hospitals in the Volta Region whose population according to 2010 population census stood at 2,118,250.

Currently, there is one regional hospital and one polyclinic in Ho, and 17 district hospitals and 158 CHIPS compounds in the region.

The newly created Adaklu, Afadjato, Akatsi-North, Ho-West, Krachi-East, Krachi-Nchumuru and Nkwanta North Districts have no hospitals.

Mr Ntumi said the population to hospital deficit poses a serious challenge to the attainment of MDG-5 because the available medical facilities are not equipped to manage maternal related complications.

He said under the circumstances, stakeholders must marshal their limited resources to find innovative ways of reducing pregnancy related deaths significantly.

Madam Commend Enyam Akpeloo, Regional Chairperson of Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health said progress is possible when civil society organisations support government initiatives.

“This is the approach the coalition is using to respond to the shared call to accelerate progress made at the MDG Summit in September 2010.

“Child bearing should be a joy,” she said.