February 12, 2024

Central Region accelerates action to improve maternal, newborn survival

Cape Coast: The Central Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has launched a strategic move towards an Accelerated Action to Improve Maternal and Newborn Survival health outcomes.

The project seeks to advance in full range, maternal and newborn health service indicators in reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition services.

To make it more viable and relevant, it had been translated in the local languages for clients to easily understand and communicate with health personnel.

Dr Marion Okoh-Owusu, the Regional Head Director in charge of public health, explained that the move would facilitate the process of attaining zero maternal deaths.

The intervention would increase skilled attendants at birth and reduce maternal mortality ratio, anaemia in pregnancy at 36 weeks and neonatal mortality rates.

The meeting, which was held both in-person and virtually, was to build the capacity of staff to deliver targeted health information and skilled services to pregnant w
omen and newborns.

The mission seeks to engage traditional birth attendants, community leaders, and prayer camps through media sensitisation and resource mobilisation with empowered staff.

In the same way, there would be group antenatal care with a minimum of three home visits during pregnancy, improved pregnancy schools and organise midwives’ meetings at the district and regional levels.

Dr Okoh-Owusu called on all stakeholders to support the GHS with logistics and funds to enable it to reach out to all to help achieve the universal health coverage.

In an overview of the Accelerated Action to Improve Maternal and Newborn Survival health outcomes, Mrs Rosemond Yeboah Sarpong, the Regional Public Health Nurse, said family planning coverage had been increasing from 40.8 per cent in 2022 to 44.6 per cent in 2023, above its target of 40 per cent.

She said enormous benefits of family planning serves included the prevention of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and reduction in rates of inf
ertility.

Mrs Sarpong encouraged pregnant women to seek antenatal care within the first trimester of pregnancy for comprehensive and effective care.

With the presence of a skilled birth attendant, she said the possibility of death owing to intra-partum-related complications or stillbirth could be reduced.

Source: Ghana News Agency

February 12, 2024

Ridge Royal Hotel initiates preventive measure against bedbugs

Cape Coast: The Ridge Royal Hotel, a leading hospitality facility based in Cape Coast, has introduced a special fumigation exercise against bedbugs to prevent an invasion of the parasitic insect in hotels.

The hotel, though not affected by the blood-sucking insects, has introduced a bi-annual disinfection to further secure the health and safety of its guests and enhance their experience to promote tourism.

Already, the facility runs quarterly fumigations to control rodents, pests and insects outside of the hotel and to eliminate those inside but the special one against bedbugs has been introduced due to their resilient nature.

Executed by Busters Apex Limited, a fumigation and pest control company, the first was carried out at the end of January this year and the second is scheduled for the end of June.

Bedbugs hide and breed in mattresses, bed frames, sofas, cracked walls, bags and carpets, among other spaces and are spread by guests when they latch onto suitcases, clothes, and linens.

Their ability to
survive for well over a year without food helps them spread even in adverse conditions and over long distances.

They cause allergic reactions leading to difficulties in breathing, abdominal pains, swollen faces as well as insomnia and anxiety.

Nana Obiri Aduama, the General Manager of the Hotel, said the preventive and control measures against pests and insects had become necessary to ensure the health and safety of guests.

Nana Aduama, also the Nkosohen of the Oguaa Traditional Area, said the presence of such insects in hospitality facilities could destroy the hospitality sector and collapse tourism.

‘And so hotels and guest facilities should take fumigations seriously to reduce the pests in the system.’

‘It will increase our cost marginally but the cost of not doing it will be far higher,’ he cautioned, and said the disinfection must be carried in a measured manner to avoid harming the staff and guests.

Nana Aduama called on authorities to make frequent fumigations compulsory for all hotels to protect
guests and save the industry.

In the specific case of the bedbugs, he said it behoved on all hotels to adopt the fumigation to keep the insects away because no one could easily stop it from multiplying.

‘People will definitely move from one hotel to the other and you do not know what they carry, so let’s all come together to put these preventive measures in place so that we will be safe,’ Nana Aduama urged hotel managers.

He said the hotel managements and association, the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Food and Drugs Authority should collectively make fumigations an integral part of their health and safety protocols for their collective good.