The research, under the Preventing Maternal and Neonatal Deaths in Rural Northern Ghana (PREMAND) Study, also showed that there was an increased risk of infant mortality associated with mothers who were in polygamous marriages, and those whose husbands had less education and willed the strongest voice in deciding to seek care for sick infants.

[contextly_sidebar id=”kOSBqFE6SE90DzJMXbygPhbrtSTNP1VX”]Covering the period between August 2014 and February 2017, the study found 211 neonatal deaths and 87 near-misses across the four districts with half of deaths occurring in the East Mamprusi district in the Northern Region.

The study, conducted to establish the factors that distinguish between neonatal deaths and near-misses across four districts of Northern Ghana -Sissala East, Kassena-Nankana East and West and East Mamprusi- showed that mothers who did not seek antenatal care, did not have a skilled birth attendant and who did not seek care outside the home for baby’s illness run the risk of losing their new-borns.

Annually, close to 3 million babies die before age of one month while several others suffer life-threatening complications but survive, known as ‘near-misses’.

The research by Cheryl A. Moyer and Katherine H. James from the University of Michigan Medical School and John Williams of the Navrongo Health Research Centre found that the “strongest factors associated with seeking care outside the home were younger maternal ages and mothers having the strongest voice in care-seeking decision-making”.

According to the study, the findings reiterated the importance of education in driving appropriate healthcare seeking, as well as the need for community-driven interventions to address prompt care-seeking.

The research thus provided evidence of a causal pathway where women having the strongest voice regarding care-seeking for their sick infants increased the likelihood of their survival and reduced the probability of new-born death.

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Source: GNA

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Dr. Luiz Octaviano Amoussou-Gohoungo, National Chairman of the District Directors of Health Services Group, said compared with the year 1993 high of 75.6 per 1000 live births, the achievement is significant.

Addressing the 24th annual general conference of the group in Sunyani, he indicated that, maternal healthcare had also remarkably improved.

He said available statistics showed that, 98.5 per cent of pregnant women, were now receiving antenatal care – up from 82 per cent in 1988.

At the same time, women delivered by skilled attendants had shot up from 40 per cent to 74 per cent, while those with access to postnatal care in the first 48 hours, had climbed to 78.2 per cent.

The four-day meeting was held under the theme “From the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals – the role of the district health system”.

The workshop provided the platform for the Directors to review their performance, share ideas and discuss effective ways to achieve the set targets.

Dr. Amoussou-Gohoungo underlined the group’s commitment to work hard and with passion to help fulfill the mission and vision of the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

It was determined to ensure that more children and women were saved from preventable deaths, he added.

Dr. Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, the Director-General of the GHS, in a speech read for him, reminded the Directors to work closely with their health management teams to protect the gains made in guinea-worm eradication.

He asked that they continued to improve the disease surveillance system at all levels.

He urged that, as managers of the health system, they also developed innovative strategies to mobilize more resources to support quality healthcare delivery.

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Source: GNA

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The four years project dubbed, “Encouraging Positive Practices for Improving Child Survival (EPPICS)”, was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The project was implemented in 240 communities in 13 designated health facilities.

The CRS health programme Manager, Mohammed Ali at a stakeholders meeting in Tamale said the project’s objective was met though with limited resources.

According to him, previous statistics on maternal mortality ratio in the Northern and Upper Regions stood at 275 per 100,000 live-births.

But the project has significantly reduced the ratio to 81 per 100,000, Mohammed Ali boasted.

He attributed the project’s success to the commitment of staff of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Traditional Birth Attendants and other community based agents whose capacity was built ahead of the implementation stage.

As a means of sustaining the project, he said a permanent learning centre serving 25 districts is located at the East Mamprusi district.

Mohammed Ali pinpointed poor community engagement and the Ghana Health Service inadequate resources as some of the critical gaps affecting interventions rolled out by development partners to conquer maternal and infant mortality.

He thereby admonished government to show enough commitment towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.

A former district health Director of the East Mamprusi district, Paulina Bayiwasi admitted that the East Mamprusi district was the poorest performing district in terms of supervision, post natal attendance and exclusive breastfeeding practices.

She commended the CRS-USAID for the EPPICS project which she said has overturned the situation.

Paulina Bayiwasi called for sufficient government’s subvention in the health sector.

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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