Health Minister worried about high maternal mortality

Koforidua, March 31, GNA- Madam Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Health, has expressed worry over the high rate of maternal deaths and called on health workers to strive to curb the trend. She said, despite a number of interventions, the figures keep on rising and government is not happy, hence the need to explore every opportunity to ensure that no woman dies during childbirth. Speaking at the launching of the Golden Jubilee of Koforidua Nursing and Midwifery Training College (KMTC), she said the ministry had identified the gaps and is taking steps to address them. She called on nurses to be committed to their patients in the course of their duties to save lives. Madam Ayittey said as a measure to curb the rising figures in maternal deaths, government is introducing a technology called V-scan to all community clinics and health centres especially the CHPS compounds, to equip midwives to detect high risk pregnancies in women for prompt attention. According to her, the V-scan technology use solar batteries and therefore would have no problem with lack of electricity. She also touched on malnutrition in children as another challenge facing the ministry recalling the number of reports about the phenomenon. Madam Ayittey pleaded with nurses to educate mothers on nutrition and how to give adequate and nutritious meals to their children. She commended KMTC for their contribution towards the training of manpower for the ministry and expressed the hope that the anniversary would focus on addressing challenges in the training colleges especially the high rate of failures in the licensing examination. Mrs Doreen Osae-Ayensu, Principal of the school said the facility had achieved its purpose in the 50 years of its existence despite the huge challenges facing it including lack of boys hostel, security fence wall and inadequate equipment at the laboratory. The year-long celebration would include symposium on the state of nursing in the country, donation to needy institutions, blood donation to the Koforidua Regional Hospital Blood Bank and a durbar in December.GNA Read Full Story