The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has held a-two-day training on Values Clarification and Attitude Transformation (VCAT) for selected regional champions for Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC). This training, held in Accra, brought together eighteen (18) participants drawn from six regions – Central, Western, Eastern, Greater Accra, Volta, and Oti.
The CAC programme is a package of services designed to reduce unwanted pregnancy and abortion-related maternal morbidity and mortality. The VCAT also focuses on orienting community actors using evidence-based practice to create an enabling environment for safe abortion services.
Though Ghana’s maternal mortality has declined steadily over the years, there are concerns over the number of unsafe abortions which contributes a substantial percentage to maternal mortality. According to the GHS, three hundred and eleven (311) women died in 2019 as a result of complications of abortion. In 2020, it is reported that out of eight hundred and seventy-five (875) maternal deaths recorded, 30% was due to unsafe abortion.
The Director of the Family Health Division at the GHS, Dr. Kofi Issah, welcoming participants to the workshop was impressed by their commitment to work with the service to reduce the spate of unsafe abortions in their various regions. He noted that the collaboration between the GHS and participants was one in the right direction to holistically reduce maternal mortality. He added that the campaign against unsafe abortions had been extended to other regions where champions were equally being trained to spearhead the fight.
Speaking to ATLFMNEWS on the sidelines of the training, the Logistics and Supply manager for the Family Health Division of the GHS, Claudette Diogo reiterated the need to engage community leaders in realizing the country’s focus on reducing maternal mortality especially due to unsafe abortion.
“You realize that we cannot do this without people who have influence in society like Queen mothers, like opinion leaders and the media. It is vital that we engage with you to understand what the situation really is so that we make the positive influence that we actually need.”
She bemoaned the crude methods being employed by women and especially young girls in terminating unwanted pregnancies leading to grave consequences.
“…because of society and our culture, they hide to drink concoctions and put unruly elements into their system. Then a lot of problems are caused. They either lose their lives or they receive some major setbacks in their wombs or even their bodies in general.”
According to Ms. Diogo, “the training is a platform to interact with stakeholders who have some form of influence to have our values clarified so that we understand that safe abortion is not just in a bid to promote abortion.”
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Source: Akosua Akyeabea Sackey/ATLFMNEWS
