17Feb
IDM 2023 AT CAPE COAST
This year,IDM comes off Friday, May 5th, 2023 at UCC
Theme:“Together again, From evidence to reality”
07May
GRMA urged recognition of the roles of midwives at policy implementation levels
Mrs Netta Forson-Ackon, the President of the Ghana Registered Midwives Association (GRMA), said midwives play an unparalleled role in nation-building, hence the need to recognise such roles to ensure the dignity of the profession.
She has, therefore, advocated for a lead midwife in all health facilities, under the Ghana Health Service, teaching and quasi-hospitals as well as specialist midwives at all those facilities.
She said a director of midwifery was also urgently required at both policy and implementation levels of health care in the country as well as in boards, councils and related ad-hoc committees in the health for better service delivery.
Mrs Forson-Ackon said this at the launch of the 31st International Day of the Midwife, held at Techiman, the Bono East Regional capital.
The Day, which falls on May 5, was instituted by the International Confederation of the Midwives (ICM) to celebrate their works and services across the world.
This year’s celebration is on the theme: “100 Years of Progress, Fostering Midwifery Leadership in Ghana”.
Mrs Forson-Ackon called for strengthening and supporting sustainable midwifery through education and research and training to position them well to offer proper care.
“We need everybody to support the nation, and to help support the health sector to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal three of good health and well-being”, she stated.
Mr Niyi Ojuolape, the Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said one could not underestimate the contributions of midwives towards achieving the 2030 SDGs of reducing maternal mortality and ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health care and Universal Health Coverage.
In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Ojuolape expressed regret that women and girls continued to die every day in Ghana from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, whilst many others developed complications including obstetric fistula.
The 2021 State of the World’s Midwifery Report said well-trained midwives could help avert roughly two-thirds of all maternal and newborn deaths and deliver 87 per cent of all essential sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn health services.
“Building the skills and strengthening the capacity of the nursing and midwifery workforce at a country level will therefore be critical to accelerate progress”, he added.
Mr Ojuolape, therefore, called on the government to provide opportunities that enabled midwives to take up roles in government ministries, districts and agencies.
Mr Kwasi Adu-Gyan, the Bono East Regional Minister, expressed worry over the inadequacy of the nation’s maternal health systems, saying: “We need quality midwifery care nationwide to assist in improving sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn, child and adolescent health”.
While calling on the GRMA to partner the Government to achieve such an important goal, he encouraged the Ghana Health Service to continue its good work to ensure better services for all women and children, especially in the rural areas.
01May
Celebrating the Midwife: Launch of 2021 International Day of the Midwife in Ghana
“If you can read, thank a teacher, if you are alive today, thank a Midwife” – Togbui Agbotadua Kumassah, Secretary of the Anlo Agbotaduawo Traditional Council.
The International Day of the Midwife (IDM) is recognized around the world as a celebration of Midwives and their contribution to women’s and newborns’ health and wellbeing. The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) formally launched the idea of the ‘International Day of the Midwife’ in 1992 after suggestions and discussions with Midwifery Associations around the world. Every year, a campaign theme serves as a call-to-action to motivate Midwives to get involved and champion their own work. This year, the theme ‘Follow the Data, Invest in Midwives’, was chosen to draw attention to the need for Governments and non-state actors to invest in training more midwives for the improvement of maternal and newborn health outcomes especially in developing countries.
In Ghana, the 30th celebration was launched at the Nurses and Midwives Training College (NMTC) in Keta, Volta Region on the 5th of May. The event was organised by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in collaboration with the Ghana Health Services (GHS), Ghana Registered Association of Midwives (GRMA) and in partnership with UNFPA Ghana and the Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
In her solidarity message, the Deputy Country representative of UNFPA Ghana, Dr. Agnes Kayitankore, expressed concerns about the inadequacies within the maternal healthcare system in Ghana and encouraged GHS and MoH to continue its good work in forging ahead and ensuring better health services for all women and children. She underscored UNFPA’s commitment to supporting the health and wellbeing of all women, girls and children and admonished others to join in the fight against maternal mortality.
The highlight of the launch was the award ceremony, in which twenty-one midwives were awarded for their exemplary work and commitment to saving lives. Rosemary Delali Gavor, the Best Midwife in the Ashanti Region, was specially awarded for her efforts in transporting a woman in labour in need of urgent healthcare to the hospital, using a broken door as a stretcher.
At the launch were Dr. Barnabas Yeboah a representative from MOH, The Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer for the Volta Region, Representatives from the CRS, Executive Director of Hope for Future Generations (HFFG) Ghana, Ms Cecilia Senoo a midwife by profession herself, the Principal Keta, NMTC, Rejoice Aheto, the President of Nation Association of Registered Midwives, Ghana, MsMary Fosu, Chiefs and Queen mothers of the Keta and surrounding areas in the Volta Region.
07May
GRMA appeals for equity in distribution of infrastructure, logistics
The Ghana Registered Midwives Association (GRMA) has appealed to the government and other stakeholders in the health sector to ensure equity in the distribution of health infrastructure, basic social amenities and logistics, particularly, in deprived areas where midwives work to better the lives of rural women and children.
According to the GRMA, the provision of such facilities and logistics, coupled with some incentives, would enable members to offer their best to the people, particularly those in deprived communities.
The President of the GRMA, Madam Netta Ackon, made the appeal at the national celebration of this year’s International Day of the Midwife (IDM) in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region yesterday on the theme “Midwives: “Defenders of women’s right.”
Concerns
Madam Ackon expressed concern over delays by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to reimburse health facilities for services rendered to patients.
“Independent midwives have worked for several months, and by virtue of the free maternal health care, are running bankrupt and selling off their personal belongings to continue serving patients because the NHIA claims are not being paid,” she added.
The president further claimed that even where payments were made, a percentage of the money was deducted without explanations which, she said, did not augur well for smooth healthcare delivery.
Commendation
The Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Winfred Ofosu, commended midwives for their dedicated and selfless service to the people over the years despite the challenging environment they worked in.
According to him, institutional skilled delivery in the Upper East Region was 70.6 per cent in 2018 while post-natal care stood at 71.3 per cent.
The director added that 79.1 per cent of pregnant women in the region attended antenatal care at least four times before delivery while institutional maternal mortality ratio declined from 137.5 per 100,000 live births in 2017 to 91.4 per 100,000 live births in 2018.
Similarly, stillbirth rate declined from 1.3 per 1,000 live births in 2017 to 1.2 per 1,000 live births in 2018.
The Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Mr Niyi Ojuolape, said the organisation had provided support to over 700 midwifery schools globally, including Ghana.
And through its Maternal and Thematic Health Fund, it had also supported over 40 midwifery schools with books, training equipment and materials.
Advice
The Upper East Regional Minister, Madam Paulina Abayage, advised members of the GRMA to always use dialogue to resolve issues rather than embarking on strikes and demonstrations to drive home their demands.
On staffing, she said, the region had this year advertised for the recruitment of 99 medical officers and 427 nurses and midwives to improve health delivery services in the area.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, said the ministry was collaborating with universities to run undergraduate and graduate programmes for midwives to raise their academic profiles.
He said the government was also committed to deploying more midwives to deprived communities to serve at Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) compounds where currently, 14.8 per cent of midwives were serving.
Fourteen midwives and nurses who distinguished themselves in their respective areas of work were awarded at the event.
Photos
