Category: Medicine

The United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA), Ghana says there is a critical global shortage of around a million midwives.

A statement issued by Dr Natalia Kanem, Executive Director at the UNFPA to commemorate the International Day of the Midwife, said without significantly expanding midwifery, more women will die in childbirth. ‘Millions of stories will have no heroes and instead end in tragedy.’

International Day of the Midwife is celebrated on the 5th of May annually to raise awareness about the midwifery profession.

The statement said midwives could provide up to 90 percent of essential services for sexual and reproductive health and bring their expertise and counsel to women wherever they were.

However, their working conditions could be arduous, discouraging many from joining the profession.

Overt gender discrimination against this largely female workforce had also resulted in low wage rates, limited opportunities for advancement, and reports of sexual harassment on the job, the statement said.

The
statement said the UNFPA had been investing in midwifery education, regulation, and strengthening the roles of professional midwifery associations because of the central role of midwives in reproductive health care.

It said UNFPA supported the initiation of the Bachelor of Science degree in midwifery at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.

UNFPA continues to provide additional support to KNUST such as the donation of skills laboratory equipment in 2023 to improve the quality of skills of the midwifery students.

The UNFPA ‘in partnership with the Ministry of Health, in 2023, supported the assessment of 16 midwifery schools to establish Midwifery Centres of Excellence; and supported the development of preceptorship guidelines for midwives and trained tutors in its application.

In addition, UNFPA worked with the Ministry of Health and other partners to support the review of the Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Plan (2024 – 2028) and continuing to work with midwifery associations to fost
er a stronger and harmonized voice that champions midwifery cause and reproductive health in general.

The statement said: ‘right now, around the world, millions of lives are in the hands of midwives. Whether they are wading through flood waters to reach pregnant women or delivering babies amid the, or in the scorching sun flying at 40 degrees, midwives are the unsung heroes of community health services.

‘Thanks to midwives, births are safer. The sexual and reproductive health care they provide is more attuned to women’s needs, desires, and local cultural practices.

Already, a woman or girl dies every two minutes somewhere in the world due to pregnancy, childbirth, or its aftermath.’

Now, climate change threatens to make the situation worse. Hotter temperatures complicate pregnancies and could lead to premature births and miscarriages. Sudden floods could sweep away roads, making it impossible to reach health facilities, the statement said.

Extreme weather events put women and girls at heightened risk of
displacement, child, and forced marriage and could take away their means of supporting themselves.

The UNFPA called for a commitment to supporting the midwifery profession, especially during a worsening climate crisis, which makes the need for midwives more urgent than ever.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Acting Western Regional Deputy Director of Health Services, Mr Nicholas Asare Adomako, has entreated families, particularly those in the peri-urban settings, to support various immunization efforts by the service to give maximum protection to children under five.

He said while immunization exercises had gained much acceptance in rural communities, peri-urban areas had become a bit of a challenge.

‘Now we are having pockets of outbreak because families are not strictly adhering to immunization procedures’, Mr. Asare Adomako, also the Public Health and Coordinator for the Expanded Programme on Immunization, told Journalists on the GHS Risks Communication at a briefing of various interventions being undertaken so far.

Touching on the Africa Vaccination Week, Mr. Asare Adomako said the theme for this year’s celebration was ‘Healthy Childhood, Invest in Your Child for Healthy Future.’ 

He called on parents to readily avail their children under five to be vaccinated to protect them against diseases.

The Se
rvice would undertake routine immunization for children under five and continue with vaccination on COVID-19, the Africa Vaccination Week exercise as well as Child Health Promotion activities.

Mr. Asare Adomako called on Ghanaians to continue to observe the necessary COVID-19 safety protocols as the country had recorded 31 new cases with one case in the Western Region. 

According to him, the tenth round of COVID -19 campaign and vaccination had started.

Mr. Asare Adomako noted that, persons who were fully vaccinated in the region were 705,763 which represented 50.7% while, those who had received just one dose were 935,812 accounting for 67.2% and persons who had received the booster were 295,813 representing 41.9%. 

He added that people who had not received any of the jabs were 690,633, representing 42.5%. 

He said the GHS was targeting about 33,504 people for this round of vaccination in the region.

 Mr. Asare Adomako charged individuals to take advantage of the mass vaccination exercise to get their j
abs to stay protected, adding that by doing so the region could attain its herd immunity of 80 percent. 

He also advised Ghanaians to report any medical situation they noticed to the health facility after taking the vaccine.      

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Clement Abasinaab Apaak, the Member of Parliament (MP) of Builsa South, has presented GHS5,000.00 cash towards the establishment of a haemodialysis centre for the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga.

The Regional Hospital, the main referral centre for the region, also receives patients from parts of the Upper West Region and Burkina Faso but does not have a haemodialysis centre to care for those with kidney diseases.

Patients with such conditions, who needed dialysis, were referred to the Tamale Teaching Hospital and other health facilities outside the region.

The idea to establish a haemodialysis centre, estimated to cost GHS800,000.00, was mooted by Mr Ayamga Ayariga, a Critical Care Nurse, and championed by Dr Emmanuel Akatibo, a Physician Specialist, which had seen some work done so far, with some equipment installed.

Due to the urgent need of the centre, management of the Hospital, in collaboration with stakeholders, launched a campaign to raise funds for its construction, of which governme
nt and non-governmental organisations and individuals have donated towards the project.

Dr Apaak, presenting the cash to the Hospital’s management, said: ‘I also felt very strongly that in spite of the challenges and many issues that I have to deal with, I should also support the initiative and encourage others to do the same.’

He said the lack of a haemodialysis centre was a major problem for the region, which affected health care needs of residents.

‘We will continue to advocate officialdom to step in, but in the mean time, we must also do something,’ the MP, also the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Education Committee, said.

Dr Apaak called on enhancing education on the causes of kidney diseases even as management solicited support to construct the centre to reduce such infections.

‘Whilst we are looking at mobilising resources to establish the dialysis unit, we must also engage in advocacy and public education to let our people know the causal factors,’ he said.

He expressed concern over the i
ncreasing rate of reported kidney diseases, especially among young people in the region, and called on them to live healthy lifestyles devoid of substance abuse.

He assured management that his donation was not a one-time contribution, adding: ‘I will reach out to others that I know, both within and outside the boundaries of the country, and I will take up the advocacy, so that we can get more support to establish the centre.’

Dr Akatibo received the cash donation on behalf of Management and led the MP to inspect the equipment installed and work done so far at the Centre.

The Physician Specialist said even though dialysis sessions were expensive, and some people could not afford, the sessions offered the opportunity for patients who could afford the cost to live much longer.

He expressed the hope that with the contribution of all stakeholders, the Centre would be fully established to cater for patients and save them the stress of travelling outside for dialysis sessions.

Mr Samuel Atuba, Hospital Administ
rator, assured members of the public that all donations would be judiciously used for the intended purposes.

‘We are going to account for every penny that we have received from all donors,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), in collaboration with Crossroads International of Canada, has organised series of workshops, sensitisation programmes and stakeholders’ engagement in the Northern and North East regions of the country.

The beneficiary communities are the Yendi Municipal, Nanumba South, Gushegu Municipal, and the alleged witches’ camps located at Kukuo, Gnani, Kpatinga and Gambaga in the two regions.

Addressing the inmates of the witches camp at Kukuo during a health screening exercise, Mr Lambert Luguniah, Senior Legal Officer and Head of International Cooperation at CHRAJ, said the activity was part of the Access to Justice project and being implemented with support of the Crossroads International (CI).

It was on the theme: ‘Access to justice project on gender-based violence against elderly women alleged as witches in Ghana’.

He said CHRAJ, with financial support from the CI, was registering all inmates of the alleged witches’ camps to enjoy the National
Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

He said that formed part of the inmates’ rights to good health, which was in fulfilment of the recommendations of a baseline survey aimed at improving the living conditions of victims of witchcraft allegations living in the camps and ensure the promotion of their rights to health.

He said witchcraft accusations, especially in the Northern and North East regions, accounted for death sentences, torture, banishment of poor and innocent elderly women and their defendants, thereby denying them their rights to health care and means of livelihood, adding that CHRAJ was determined to stop the practice.

Mr Luguniah said the partnership had led to CHRAJ organising a trainer of trainers workshop for stakeholders, including traditional authorities, religious leaders, youth groups and women leaders on issues of sexual and gender-based violence, especially against elderly women accused of witchcraft and the role expected of them to halt the practice.

He advised the public to stop discrim
inating against women alleged as witches, urging traditional authorities to ensure and promote co-existence among the people under their jurisdiction.

He said with the Crossroads International support, CHRAJ conducted health screening exercise for all the inmates of the alleged witches’ camps to improve their health status by taking preventive care and avert the possibility of common but dreaded diseases.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Raphael Kwabena Angmortey, the Nutrition Officer of Ada East, has said that beautiful, glowing, and anti-ageing skin is not necessarily based on cosmetic products but rather on eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Mr. Angmortey told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that most fruits and vegetables, such as blackberries, carrots, and tomatoes, are packed with antioxidant properties that delay or prevent ageing and other age-related disorders.

He mentioned that the skin is an outside layer that portrays problems in the internal body, hence the need to tackle and combat skin challenges from the core rather than using lotions, creams, and masks to cure the outer layer.

The Nutrition Officer said that fruits and vegetables contain vitamins that produce collagen, a protein that keeps the skin firm and elastic, protects the skin from sun damage, and reduces the appearance of wrinkles, among others.

He said that being conscious of the foods consumed, coupled with regular exercise, was essential to a
ttaining beautiful, youthful skin.

He said fruits and vegetables had numerous other health-promoting benefits, such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic properties, needed for the entire body to function effectively.

He explained that foods that were rich in vitamin C supported collagen production for smooth and supple skin, adding that their anti-inflammatory properties helped to reduce the signs of ageing.

Mr. Angmortey cautioned against cosmetics, especially bleaching products, being used to reduce anti-ageing and other skin issues.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Emmanuel Kofi Tamakloe, the Municipal Director of Health Service of Ahanta West Municipal says the Municipality has not recorded any malaria related deaths in the last four years.

The feat was achieved through life-saving interventions such as early diagnosis and prompt treatment, Long Lasting Insecticidal Net (LLIN) distribution, Larval Source Management.

Other interventions included, engaging communities in health decision-making, bringing health care closer to where people lived and work through primary health care system and address factors that increased Malaria risks in the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The Municipal Director of Health was speaking during a durbar and donation exercise by Yinson Ghana and the West Africa Rescue Association to mark world Malaria Day in Kejebril in the Municipality.

The theme for this year’s celebration was on’Health Equity, The Cornerstone for Achieving Malaria Elimination in Ghana.’

He noted that, under the Larval Source Management (LSM), the Municipal Healt
h Directorate (MHD) collaborated with Zoomlion Ghana Limited and mapped out and sprayed a total of 474 mosquito breeding sites and thus topped the league table among the seven implementing LSM districts in the Western Region.

The Municipal Director of Health said Kejebril was ranked the 14th epidemic Malaria community but through LMS and other Malaria intervention, the health Centre in the community now ranked 3rd best in reducing Malaria morbidity compared to the 2022 and 2023 annual cases.

‘No wonder we are celebrating this year commemoration in Kejebril’ he said.

He added that sustained funding, strong surveillance system and community engagement were key to the success of the ambitious target of zero Malaria.

‘Together with a robust political commitment, adequate investment and the right combination of strategies, we can reach our common goal of eradicating Malaria by 2030’, he said.

Mr. Tamakloe commended some health facilities in the Municipality for their excellent performance in reducing annual M
alaria morbidity and their strive in ensuring zero Malaria death in the Municipality.

He also made a call to the Chiefs to support community members who suffer from the deadly Malaria illness.

Meanwhile, the Municipality recorded 33,065 Malaria cases out of which 512 were pregnant women and 8,053 were children under five years.

‘Together we can reduce morbidity in line with the vision of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Global Malaria Community which is a world free of Malaria’ he noted.

He therefore called on frontline health workers, partners, stakeholders, Chiefs, and all opinion leaders in the Municipality to help accelerate the fight against Malaria for a more equitable world.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Eric Nana Takyi, the Kadjebi District Director of Health Services, has appealed to Ghanaians, especially residents of the Kadjebi District, to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

He said the National Vaccination Day against COVID-19 exercise commences on May 4-9; so, people above 18 years, especially the first timers should take advantage and get vaccinated against COVID-19.

According to him, only 28,682 people, representing 57.5 per cent, out of the Kadjebi District’s target population of 49,882 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

This means 21,200 people in the district are not fully protected against COVID-19.

‘Ghana has started reporting some episodes of COVID-19 cases again and we are of the view that it is those who refused to take the jab or partially vaccinated,’ he said.

He said the disease is real, so everyone should get vaccinated.

Nana Takyi said this at a Risk Communication Committee meeting at Kadjebi in the Oti Region.

He said those who took the first jab were to go for the second ja
b and those who took the second jab were to go for the booster to be fully protected against the disease.

On functions of the Risk Communication Committee, Nana Takyi said it exists to provide appropriate and factual information to the public to avoid rumour mongering, the spread of wrong information, reduced fear and panic.

He said diseases are bound to occur and the public needed to know the right information on them, hence the Risk Communication Committee.

Mrs Mabel Amankwa-Amoah, Kadjebi District Health Promotion Officer, said ‘Changing behaviour is difficult’, so the Committee members must endeavour to communicate appropriately on trending issues.

Mr David Naboare, a Mental Health Officer, said 2.4 million Ghanaians have mental problems, so ‘be mentally right to communicate well’.

The Committee has NCCE, GES, Media, Environmental Health, Disease Surveillance, Health Promotion and Mental Health Units, Ghana Police Service, Muslim Representative and CSO as members. 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Labram Musah, the National Coordinator of the Ghana NCD Alliance (GhNCDA) has called on the media and civil society organisations (CSOs) to remain steadfast in their commitment towards achieving Universal Health Care (UHC).

‘Together let us forge and fight towards a future where health is truly a universal right acceptable by all of us,’ he said.

Mr Musah made the call at the close of a day’s capacity-building seminar for media professionals and CSO members in Accra on the theme: ‘Accelerating UHC through the 2nd Global Financing Dialogue on NCDs and Mental Health.’

The seminar was organised by the GhNCDA and supported by NCDA Advocacy Institute Accelerator Track Programme through NCDA partnership with the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

It was aimed at educating the media and the CSO members on their roles towards the forthcoming second Global Financing Dialogue in June 2024 in Washington, USA.

The participants were taken through how the media should be positioned in the lead up to t
he upcoming dialogue to catch the attention of relevant policy makers and how to demand appropriate policy responses that will guide Ghana’s participation at the meeting.

Mr Musah said investment in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and mental health were imperative to achieving the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target.

‘Regrettably, progress in addressing illnesses and mental health conditions has decelerated since the onset of the SDGs era in 2015, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,’ he stated.

He said the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development had acknowledged the significance of addressing NCDs and mental health, aiming to reduce premature mortality from the diseases by one-third and promote mental health and well-being by 2030.

‘This inclusion marks a pivotal step towards rallying efforts for a comprehensive approach to tackle these pressing developmental challenges of the 21st century,’ the coordinator said, adding that the NCDs constituting
74 per cent of all deaths globally and 46 per cent of total death in Ghana highlights the urgency of action.

Mr Musah noted that each country harbours the potential to realise the global SDG 3.4 target (reduce by one-third premature mortality from NCD through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being) and advance towards UHC for individuals with the diseases and mental health conditions.

‘This can be achieved through the scaled-up delivery of context-specific, cost-effective priority interventions, coupled with domestic capacity-building efforts across government sectors,’ he stated.

He said the upcoming second Global Financing Dialogue aimed at delineating actionable national strategies and formulating policy recommendations conducive to integrating NCDs and mental health within the national health financing system.

‘The first Global Financing Dialogue stressed the fact that current rates of investments were not sufficient to meet SDG 3.4 by 2030,’ Mr Labram stated.

Participants
at the seminar expressed their commitment to carry out concerted awareness creation among stakeholders for them to see the need for NCDs and mental health financing to help achieve the Universal Health Care target.

Source: Ghana News Agency