Report by: Ben LARYEA
The National Association of Registered Midwives (NARM) of Greater Accra has celebrated the International Day of Midwives with a call on the government to adequately resource facilities and projects of midwifery across the country.
As part of the celebrations, members of the Association embarked on a float through some principal streets of Accra to draw the attention of the public particularly the government to the significant role of midwives in the healthcare delivery of the country.
Line up of activities to mark the celebration include health screening, a lecture on the role of midwives in hospitals, drama on safe delivery, and counseling for pregnant women among others.
This year’s celebration was organized by the Greater Accra, National Association of Registered Midwives and supported by Peak Milk and Dr. Brown Sanitary Pad.
Greater Accra NARM calls on gov’t to adequately address logistical challenges
Speaking to the media at the program, the Chairperson of the NARM-Ghana, Madam Leticia Atiah commended midwives in the country for their immense support towards the healthcare and explained that midwives continue to play a lead role in the healthcare delivery systems.
She said midwives have equally played an important role just as any other profession in the health space saying their role is primarily handling the lives of mothers in birth delivery as well as the safety of child birth.
The Chairperson however urged government and health authorities to invest enormously in midwifery by giving a facelift to facilities and infrastructure to enable midwives to be abreast with modern day services pointing out that such gesture creates a platform for midwives to exhibit best practices and sound human relations to patients.
Madam Leticia Atiah urged health authorities to engage in periodic training of the Association through capacity building to sharpen the skills of midwives to perform effectively and efficiently on the job saying the profession have come a long way and it requires cutting edge tools and equipments.
Greater Accra NARM calls on gov’t to adequately address logistical challenges
She thus appealed to government to take a second look at the condition of service of midwives and explained that their conditions of service be enhanced, adding that midwives across the country have little to do with their incomes.
For her part, the Director of Nursing Service and Programme Officer, Family Health Division, Ghana Health Service, Madam Vivian Akosua Ofori-Dankwa said the contribution of midwives in the health space have led to a decrease in infant and neonatal mortality as well as under 5 mortality rates have increased in family planning acceptor rates.
According to her, there have been a drastic change in maternal deaths from 875 to 809 and a massive improvement in haemoglobin check at registration booking and urged government to scale up the human resource base to recruit more midwives.
Mr. Franklin Sabla, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Association called on health authorities to address the challenges of midwives particularly schemes of service, refurbish of facilities and capacity building through training
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
