A 2020 Ghana health service report indicates that the Mfantsiman Municipality in the central region recorded 38 and 48 under one-month and under five years mortality rate respectively.
The maternal mortality rate of this municipality was also pegged at 5.
It is in light of this that the Ellis Mothers Hope Foundation with the aim of reducing infant and maternal mortality in the municipality has been launched.
The Director of the Foundation, Victoria Otoo Aidoo said it is the vision of the foundation to ensure that the goals of the Ghana Health Service of Providing all communities in Ghana with access to timely, quality, and comprehensive health care is achieved.
Speaking at the launch of the foundation at the Saltpond Municipal Hospital on Friday, October 7, 2022, Madam Otoo Aidoo said their mission is to provide underprivileged expectant mothers with early pre-natal and post-natal care.
She further stated that the foundation will also offer education to expectant mothers and help improve health and birth outcomes in the Mfantsiman Municipality, especially in Saltpond.
According to her, the foundation will also provide underprivileged mothers with financial support and employment opportunities to help them become self-reliant.
The current mortality rate in Ghana for 2022 is 31.768 per 1000 lives birth. In the Mfantsiman Municipality, it was noted that the neonatal death rate in 2020 was 22.9 and 32.7 in 2021. In 2022, neonatal death has been pegged at 31.7.
This Madam Otoo describes as high and said the foundation will do its best to help solve the problem.
Some hospital equipment such as hand gloves, blankets, mattresses among others were presented to the Saltpond Hospital.
Mad. Otoo Aidoo however called on individuals and civil societies to come and support the foundation to assist in expanding its services beyond the municipality.
“The foundation is seeking to do more. What took place, I will say is just a pilot, where we actually supported a few women. But in our next phase, we are hoping to support more women in the community. If you ask me about the percentage, if we could do about twenty percent it will be good.” She said
According to the Deputy Chief Health Services Administrator, Mr. Paul Amponsah Agyakwa, the foundation will be very instrumental in addressing several challenges that pregnant women face during their pregnancy.
He said “most of them do not have the support of their husbands, when they come drugs to buy, or have to do external examinations, they don’t have the support of their husbands and relatives. When it comes to delivery, it is very difficult..most of them come, they do not have anything, they have to deliver.”
To this end, Mr. Agyakwa said it is his hope that with the objectives and vision of the foundation, maternal and neonatal death will be reduced.
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Source: Eric Sekyi/ATLFMNEWS
