Pregnant women in Sunyani call for immediate completion of 5 year maternity block

Correspondence from Bono:

Some pregnant women in Sunyani, the regional capital of the Bono Region, have called for an immediate operationalisation of a five-year-old maternity block, which seems to have been abandoned over the years.

The new maternity block, which was established in the year 2016, by the Sunyani Municipal Assembly, at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital, has been left without any attempt to complete it.

The maternity block, which has been roofed with its louvre blades and plastering works prior to the 2016 General Elections, only saw painting works in November 2020 after the Sunyani Traditional Council and the Sunyani Youth for Development, issued out a separate press release on this project in October 2020.

In a brief interaction with some staff of the Sunyani Municipal Hospital at the maternity ward, the nurses complained to Ghanaweb of the challenges they face at the old maternity block. They described the situation as ''disturbing and demanding'' working at the old maternity block.

One of them, who only gave out her name as Maame, said ''we are overwhelmed with the number of pregnant women who visit the facility daily. We have no option other than to manage them in this small place in a COVID-19 era, where we are mandated to observe social distancing''.

Maame was concerned about why they have to stress themselves in a limited space while a bigger facility at the hospital has been left to root.

Speaking with Ghanaweb, some pregnant women, who had come to the facility, unanimously appealed to the appropriate authority, to see that the new maternity block is opened for use as soon as possible.

Mrs Agnes Kusi, particularly appealed to the new Bono Regional Minister, Hon Justina Owusu-Banahene, to come to the aide of the hospital to get the facility running. ''I will call on our regional minister to get this facility ready for use''.

Madam Yaa Eunice, a nursing mother revealed how she was asked to go to the Bono Regional Hospital in one of her usual antenatal services when the facility was closed down for fumigation.

''I had to work at the Regional Hospital that day because I didn't have enough money on me that day''.

Another pregnant woman, Nana Ama, said ''I always come to the facility in the afternoon because there seems to be overcrowding in the morning due to lack of space''.