Story by Mathias Aboba
Dr John Koku Awoonor-Williams, Upper East Regional Director of Health Services
Stakeholders in health in the Upper East Region have pledged total commitment to work tirelessly and in various ways to put an end to the death of women resulting from complications in pregnancy and child birth.
This came to light at the region’s first ever Maternal Mortality Summit held in Bolgatanga at the weekend. Opening the conference, the Regional Director of Health Services Dr Koku Awoonor-Williams said with only three years to the deadline of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there is an urgent need for all stakeholders to re-focus and double commitment and accountability in continually directing harnessed resources at proven cost-effective community-based health interventions to ensure that no woman dies in giving birth or in pregnancy related cases.
He said the death of a mother has devastating effect on the family and community, it is for this reason that the Ghana Health Service finds cause to take the fight to end maternal mortality to every single individual, group, family, institution and organization in the region to see how best pragmatic strategies can be fashioned to help bring about change to the situation.
Dr Awoonor observed that maternal health is the most sensitive index of health and social wellbeing in any society and yet in this party of our world alarming number of women continue to die every day from no other cause but pregnancy and related effects which should not be the case.
The Regional Director expressed displeasure at the level of stakeholder collaboration in tackling maternal mortality in the country and wondered why the issue does not attract so much attention as does politics and other things. “We all: health workers, Chiefs, Queen Mothers, Assembly Members, Youth and Women groups, Government and Private Institutions and Agencies, Transport Unions and NGOs all have stake in the matter of maternal mortality and must begin to act now to prevent the unfortunate deaths of women” Dr Awoonor lamented.
The Upper East Region remains largely disadvantaged. Despite hard work and good strategies employed to improve health care delivery to the population, majority of the people remain trapped in rural and inaccessible communities under poor economic and health status. Health care delivery is highly hampered by the paucity of qualified medical staff particularly medical doctors and midwives.
This notwithstanding, for the past five years most health indicators continue to improve thanks to good leadership and dedicated health staff. In the half year of 2011 the region recorded 23 maternal deaths, this was reduced to 17 over the same period this year. The Regional Director disclosed that facility deliveries have increase from 70% in 2008 to 86 %. He said the region will continue to embark on community-based cost-effective health delivery and management strategies such as the CHPS initiative to make community participation in health care planning practical and effective to achieve better health outcomes for the people.
Dr Awoonor hinted that most of the maternal deaths occurring in the region are as a result of obstructed labor, bleeding, complications from unsafe abortion, hypertensive diseases, infections and indirect causes such as malaria and anaemia cases he said are all preventable, if the appropriate measures are put in place. “We know what is killing our women and we pretty much know what to do”.
The Regional Director contended that as globally recommended the health service will continue to increase skilled delivery in the region alongside other proven strategies such as family planning and the provision of emergency obstetric and newborn care services. It however recognizes the important role of the community and other stakeholders hence the desperate attempt to rope in all who matter in the march for safe motherhood.
He said innovative strategies are necessary if the region and indeed the country at large wants to reduce maternal and child mortality to the barest minimum. He disclosed that the region is currently piloting free family planning in four districts and strengthening the facility –to-facility delivery of health commodities all in the bid to improve quality health care delivery. He appealed to the Union of Taxi Drivers in the region and other transport operators as well as district and municipal assemblies, traditional authorities and opinion leaders, civil society and cooperate bodies to take up the issue and come out with practical solutions to contribute in helping curb the situation.
The Programme Manager in-charge of Adolescent Health at the Family Health Division, Ghana Health Service Ms. Rejoice Nutakor applauded the Health performance of the region and said the Upper East Region continues to lead the way for home grown solutions and innovations for health care delivery and remains a shining example for good leadership and dedicated staff committed to the aspirations of the Ghana Health Service. She said the conference was important given the seriousness and determination the nation is making towards the achievement of the MDGs 4 and 5. Ms. Nutakor urged the stakeholders to strive together to improve the health and lives of women and children in their communities.
On his part the Chairman of the Regional Health Committee Mr Robert Ajene commended health staff working in the region and appealed to medical doctors and other health staff who refuse posting to the region to reconsider their decision since they have a duty enjoined by God and the laws of the land to serve the people in every part of the country.
The Summit brought together Heads of Health Institutions state and private, Civil Society Groups, Chiefs, Queen Mothers, Women and Youth Groups, Opinion Leaders, Transport Operators, Traditional Healers and Birth Attendants and the media,
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