Dr Francis Appiah, a medical doctor and a specialist in obstetrician and gynaecology has intimated that, the cause of maternal deaths in the country is due to delay on either the part of the patient or health facility.
Speaking during an interview, Dr. Appiah stated that, maternal deaths sometimes occurred during or after a miscarriage, termination of pregnancy or ectopic or any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management.
He then revealed that, some of the causes of maternal death include haemorrhage, cardiac diseases, hypertensive disorders, infections of the genital tracts and many more.
Touching on Doctors or health facilities, he attributed their delay in instituting proper management and referring cases early in the absence of adequate medication and care as the cause of maternal mortality describing the act as regrettable.
On the side of the patients, he indicated that, financial problems, means of transportation and ignorance on the dangers of pregnancy are some of the challenges contributing to high maternal mortality.
He underscored the need for doctors and patients to act promptly to avoid or reduce maternal deaths in the country and also called on colleagues in the health sector to handle pregnant women with extra care until they had safely delivered.
Dr Appiah commended the government for its ‘one district one ambulance’ policy and appealed for more ambulances to help save the lives of expectant mothers in particular.
He also appealed to the Ghana Health Service to establish a blood bank in each district for easy access while the use of drones should be extended nationwide to facilitate quality health care services.
Also on health, Purim African Youth Development Platform (PAYDP), a Non-Governmental Organization, has, trained about 1000 adolescent girls to take charge of their sexual and reproductive health rights.
The training was under the Adolescent Girls Programme, which sought to reduce teenage pregnancy and the risk and vulnerabilities facing adolescent girls.
Madam Edna Yeboah, the Programmes Officer for PAYDP, Greater Accra Region, said the Organisation also engaged parents, men and boys on reproductive health rights and legal issues to make greater impacts.
Madam Yeboah said this at a meeting in Accra to engage PAYDP implementing partners, review the impacts of its programme for the year, and develop a plan for 2021.
She said the Organisation trained youth facilitators on Reproductive Health Education and Services to reach out to about 5,557 of their peers to educate them on the best ways to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies.
She said the programme had been successful as more girls were empowered to speak up and take charge of their reproductive health rights.
Madam Yeboah commended the UNFPA and its implementing partners for working tirelessly to make this year’s programme a success amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The project, funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), engaged out-of-school girls in leadership, mentorship, clinical services and edutainment programmes in selected communities in Accra, Kumasi, Techiman, Assin South, Kintampo South and Ningo Prampram.
