The Akuapem Larteh Health Center in the Akuapem North Municipality of the Eastern Region has received Ghc60,000 worth of Maternity beds and Medical equipment to end the struggles of pregnant women delivering in turns due to inadequate delivery beds and delivery equipment.
The equipment donated by the Rotary Club of Accra -West include baby cots, suction machines, delivery sets, baby weighing scales, digital No monitor, digital clinical thermometers, wheelchair, fetus scope, and tabletop fridges.
Additionally, the club has refurbished the Maternity and Child Reproductive Unit of the Health Center.
The Larteh Health Center, a public health facility, was established in 1994 to provide general, maternity, and child productive health services. Two years after its establishment, it was designated a sub-district health center to serve many rural communities in the Municipality. The facility is being upgraded to Poly Clinic.
Currently, 400 pregnant women visit the health center weekly but it had only one delivery beds.
Mrs. Ellen Abbey, Physician Assistant at the Health Center told Mybrytfmmonline.com
“Larteh is a very big place we have a lot of clients’ mother’s coming to deliver almost all the time. At first, we had only one delivery beds so if we had two women to deliver we had to let one wait for another person comes to deliver. So they had to go in in turns. So Rotary club decided to help us and we are grateful because now we have three beds if we have three mothers come at the same time we can conduct delivery for all at the same time”
She said the intervention would help to boost maternal and child healthcare and reduce the number of referrals to other facilities.
The Vice-Chairman of Rotary Club -Accra West Kwame Baah-Acheamfuor, explained that the funds for the project were raised by Rotary Club Accra -West with support from Rotary and Rotaract Clubs, institutions and Organization, and individuals.
He said it is part of efforts by the club to help Ghana reduce the high maternal and neonatal mortality to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target.
In 2018, Ghana for the first time recorded its lowest maternal mortality rate with 128 deaths per 100,000 live births as against 144 per the same number of deliveries in 2017.
The progress, however, still falls short of global targets for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH) targets to reach a maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
The infant mortality rate for Ghana in 2019 was 34.668 deaths per 1000 live births, a 2.71% decline from 2018. The infant mortality rate for Ghana in 2018 was 35.634 deaths per 1000 live births, a 4.91% decline from 2017
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Obed Ansah
