Taxi driver commended for dedicated service

Mr Kwame Amadu, a taxi-driver at Donkro-Nkwanta in the Nkoranza Municipality has been commended for his dedicated service in transporting pregnant women to the Donkro-Nkwanta Health Centre.

Madam Esther Gyaama, a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) at Salamkrom, a farming community also in the Nkoranza Municipality, made the commendation at a day’s workshop on Safe Motherhood Care at Nkoranza.

The workshop was organized by the Nkoranza Municipal Directorate of Health Services (MDHS) to educate Community-Based Surveillance Volunteers (CBVs) on their roles and responsibilities with regard to the health of pregnant women.

Madam Gyaama, who is also the Unit Committee Chairperson of Salamkrom, said for the past eight years, Mr Amadu had been active and regular in responding to emergencies for referral cases for save deliveries in the area.

She said her work would be difficult without the assistance of Mr Amadu because Salamkrom is more than six kilometres to the nearest health facility at Donkro-Nkwanta.

Madam Gyaama appealed to other drivers to emulate Mr Amadu to save lives in other communities within the municipality.

She said most of the pregnant women referred for the attention of midwives and doctors included those who have undergone caesarean operation during pervious deliveries, women who have given birth to more than five children, as well as those delivering for the “first time”.

Madam Gyaama explained that pregnant women with such health conditions could develop complications during labour, therefore, the need for their referral to health facilities without delay to save lives.

In another development, the Nkoranza Municipal Disease Control Unit of Saint Theresa’s Catholic Hospital has commended the Medical Assistance Programme (MAP), International of the United States (US), an NGO for assisting to reduce Buruli Ulcer cases in the Municipality.

Some endemic areas are, Asuano, Nkoranza Zongo, Akuma, Nsugum, Makyinmabre, Donkro-Nkwanta, Nyiase, Kwafre and Ahyiayem.

Mr Charles Akwasi Gyamfi, Disease Control Officer at the hospital told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that Buruli Ulcer cases were detected in some communities in the Municipality in 2008 but due to delayed attention most people suffered severely from it.

He said MAP International recently visited the hospital and offered some logistics and medicine for the treatment of the disease, as well as a motorbike, to the Disease Control Unit to facilitate official movement to the communities on surveillance activities