The rate at which children die in Ghana before celebrating their first month of birth has declined due to pragmatic efforts by Health workers and its collaborators.
The country according to findings by Ghana Demographic and Health Survey- 2014 and released this year still records 29 neonatal mortality per 1,000 live births as compared to 31 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1998.
Neonatal mortality in the Northern region recorded a big decline from 39 to 24 per 1000 live births followed by the Upper East Region from 34 to 24 per 1,000 live births. The reduction according to Ghana health service is as a result of series of capacity building offered to health workers on maternal and postnatal newborn care with midwives in the country trained on life saving skills.
The health sector in the country has also received health equipments from its partners such as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to facilitate health delivery in the country. Other support by UNICEF to Ghana health service to implement several newborn care programs under the National Newborn Strategy includes the Mother Baby Friendly Facility Initiative (MBFFI).
This was revealed during a two day inter-regional annual newborn stakeholder forum for selected health service providers within the three regions of the North held in Bolgatanga, Upper East Regional capital. The forum under the theme ‘improving maternal and newborn health outcomes in Northern Ghana; a shared responsibility’ was aimed at sharing ideas to improve drastically maternal and neonatal mortality.
Upper East Regional Health Director, Dr. Kofi Issah in an interview with A1 Radio commended health workers and stakeholders for the giant strides at reducing the rate of neonatal mortality in the region and the country at large. According to him, though there is a significant reduction of infant mortality many children still die in their first month of birth hence the focus on neonatal stage to reduce the trend.
Dr. Issah in an exclusive interview expressed worry at the spate at which some health service providers including sons and daughters of the region refuse posting to the upper east region. According to him, the situation could affect the quality of health care the region yearns for.
“Charity they say begins at home, who doesn’t fear his home town people disturbing him? So if you say well I am not going to get anything if I come here and that I want to be in Accra, good, you can be in Accra, it is a free world. But if anything bad happens in your village don’t expect another fellow. We are not saying that people are not free to work wherever they choose but when there is a clarion call if you don’t pick it from your home who do you expect to pick it for you,” he questioned.
Health and nutrition officer of UNICEF, Hajia Felicia Mahama commended health providers in Northern and Upper East Region respectively for stepping up efforts at reducing neonatal mortality rate even below the national average.
Hajia Mahama emphasized the need to invest more and scale up evidence based interventions aimed at improving the quality of health care during labour, delivery and the first week of birth. Hajia Mahama therefore called for a concerted effort to end maternal and newborn deaths.
“We need high-level political commitment and increased health financing to ensure our vision of no preventable deaths of newborns becomes a reality” she admonished.
By: Joshua Asaah | A1RADIOONLINE.com | Ghana
