Workshop for Midwives, Traditional Birth Attendants held in Accra
Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), on Wednesday organised an exchange learning workshop for Midwives and Traditional Birth Attendants’ (TBAs) to help improve maternal and newborn health care delivery.
The initiative which brought together senior midwives and well experienced TBAs across the country was a partnership with Oxfam International, an NGO on the theme, “Achieving the Health Related MDG’s (MDG 4, 5 and 6): The role of the Midwife”.
It was to share best practices for improving maternal and new born health care delivery, and served as a platform to strengthen the capacity of TBAs to enhance their contribution towards maternal health care delivery.
Participants were taken through some topics such as the role of midwives in assisting safe pregnancy, delivery and post delivery care, traditional support for pregnancy, delivery and post-delivery care and integration of orthodox and traditional methods of pregnancy and delivery care for improved maternal healthcare outcomes.
Hajia Mariama Sumani, Former Chief Nursing Officer, noted that maternal mortality rate of Ghana had decreased from 450 per 100,000 to 350 per 100,000 , as a result of high standards of professionalism exhibited by midwives in the country.
She indicated that these deaths were mostly caused by haemorrhage, abortion, pregnancy-induced hypertension, sepis and obstructed labour.
Hajia Sumani mentioned some of the major challenges facing maternal healthcare delivery as shortage of doctors and midwives, poor attitude of health care providers, weak referral systems and services, poor access to emergency obstetric care and poor access to quality maternal health services.
In order to reduce the unacceptable high indices of both maternal and child mortality rates, Hajia Sumani urged midwives to assist and provide family planning and Comprehensive Abortion Care Services to prevent abortion related deaths and complications.
She added that midwives should provide quality ante-natal care, delivery and post natal services to ensure safe delivery and good health of mother and baby.
Hajia Sumani called for easy and quality access to emergency obstetric to help reduce infant and maternal mortality in the country.
Dr Patrick Aboagye, Deputy Director of Reproductive and Child Health of Ghana Health Service (GHS) commended TBAs for their immense support towards improving maternal health service delivery.
He urged them to create their own avenues to enable GHS provide the necessary support.
Dr Aboagye called for discipline among midwives and advised them not to consider their activities as a challenge but rather a responsibility to provide quality health care services to Ghanaians.
Source: GNA