GHS takes delivery of additional logistical supplies from PARDA

Dr Michael Wombeogo, Director PARDA

Dr Wombeogo doing the official handing over to the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Issah

A charitable Health Related NGO, Participatory Action for Rural Development Alternatives, PARDA, has over the past two years advance the provision of health infrastructure and logistic support to the Ghana Health Service in the Upper East Region.

Over the said period, PARDA has injected a whopping 549, 446 Ghana Cedis in the health sector of the region to support deprived communities on Maternal and Child Health Care, MCH.

This came to light when PARDA handed over large quantity of medical and logistical supplies to the GHS for onward delivery to twelve selected health facilities in its five operational areas.

The Director of PARDA, Dr. Michael Wombeogo who made the disclosure at a brief presentation ceremony at Zuarungu said the items are meant to equip the beneficiary facilities with the hope to actualizing the organisation’s long term objective of ensuring zero maternal and child mortality for 2017 and beyond.

The items include set of laptop computers, delivery beds, 60 bicycles, 3 motorbikes, and 12 tricycle ambulances among other baby toiletries.

Isaac Asare who was there for Radio Ghana and reports that, with donor support by Oxfam Ghana, KLUB-Austria and Zochonis Charitable Trust-UK, PARDA has prompted key interventions with appropriate strategies to lessen the plight of deprived communities and health facilities in its five operational areas.

They are Bolga Municipal, Kassena-Nankana East, Bawku West, Nabdam and Talensi.

Meanwhile, PARDA since 2012 had fostered close partnership with the GHS in promoting active maternal and child health care in the said areas.

Through Oxfam, PARDA had over the period strengthened its capacity building intervention with active participation and engagement of community health volunteers to enhance effective MCH care.

Relatively, PARDA had facilitated the provision of logistic support and training of Nurses and Midwives, Traditional Birth Attendance, TBAs, Community Health Committees and District Health Directors to enable them work towards improving access to quality maternal and child health care within their communities.

However, the provision of the medical and logistical supplies to the GHS was to equip the targeted health facilities to enhance skill delivery and improve maternal health.

Communities such as Sapeliga, Sumbrumgu, Duusi, Gorogo, Naaga and Gia were among the few that received the tricycle ambulances popularly called "motorking ambulances".

Outlining some gains made over the years, the Director of PARDA, Dr. Michael Wombeogo encouraged the leadership of the GHS to capitalize on the achievements made to post the requisite midwives and nurses to the communities to man the various health facilities.

In 2013, facilities under PARDA’s project implementation recorded a historic zero maternal and neonatal morbidity with significant increase in antenatal and post-natal care registration and attendance.

Moreover, there was a correspondent increase in facility deliveries with 2015/16 recording 77 percent as against 56.7 percent chalked between 2013 and 2014.

In view of sterling feat, PARDA says it was ready to work with like-minded organizations to enhance effort at achieving the universal target of zero maternal and neonatal deaths as captured in the SDG 3.

The Regional Director of Health Service, Dr. Kofi Issah who received the items showed gratitude to PARDA and its implementing partners for the kind gesture.

He called for regular maintenance of the items and further urged staff of the GHS to build synergies with the communities to promote effective healthcare delivery.

Present to grace the occasion was the Programs and Campaign Officer for Oxfam, Dr. Mrs. Felicia Esinam Pufaa.

Also present was the Board Chair of PARDA, Dr Joseph Ayembilla among some District Health Directors drawn from the 12 beneficiary communities.

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Ghana risk missing SDG 3 if less attention is given to new-borns- Health Expert

 Story by Isaac Asare

Ghana’s failure to meet the MDG set targets on maternal and child health had been blamed on her inability to improve on the quality of care around the time of delivery and immediate post partum period.

At a review meeting to improve maternal health outcomes in Bolgatanga, it was observed that although the country made some modest gains in reducing under 5 mortality, much attention was not given to the new-borns because most of them died before their first week of life.

The Deputy Upper East Regional Director of Nursing Services in charge of Public Health, Dr Rofina Asuru maintained that until appropriate strategies are adopted to avoid needless deaths among new-borns, the country’s quest to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 will still be a mirage.

The meeting was to review the progress made in the Mother Baby Friendly Health Facility Initiative, MBFHI, spearheaded by the GHS with funding from the UNICEF.





Background

Ghana missed out in the MDGs on maternal and infant mortality due to lack of attention on new-borns.

As a measure to reverse the trend, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Services in July 2014 came out with the Newborn Strategy and Action Plan detailing evidence-based cost effective interventions to improve survival.

Inspite of this laudable initiative, maternal mortality ratio and death among new-borns did not witness any considerable decline.

The Mother Baby Child Friendly Health Facility Initiative, MBFHI was later considered another key intervention that seeks to improve facility-based quality care for mothers and new-borns and to increase optimal breastfeeding practices among other set objectives.

The MBFHI, is a quality improvement initiative supported by UNICEF through the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation to improve the health of mothers and babies in Ghana, Tanzania and Bangladesh.

In Ghana, the project is being piloted in four implementing districts namely Bawku Municipal, Bolga Municipal, Bongo and Kassena-Nankana West.


Speaking to Radio Ghana, the Deputy Upper East Regional Director of Nursing Services in charge of Public Health, Dr Rofina Asuru explained that the MBFHI review meeting was to beef up the level of commitment among implementers and to enforce healthy competition for lessons to be drawn on the gains made.

She said since the project began in the last quarter of 2015 at the regional level, some progress has been made.

The review meeting brought together stakeholders in the area of maternal health including public health nurses, midwives, physician assistants, nutrition officers and disease control officers among others.

They were implored to double up their effort in terms of performance to improve mother and newborn survival by showing stronger commitment to provoke its sustainability.

A Health Specialist at UNICEF with focus on Maternal Newborn Care, Dr Priscilla Wobil, said, depending on the availability of funding, UNICEF is prepared to scale up the program after its end-line in 2018, but before that systems have been put in place so even if UNICEF is not able to offer full support, the health systems will be able to sustain the progress made.

The MBFHI as a flagship program geared at improving the quality of care is currently taking place in 21 health facilities.

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