The Bono East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Fred Adomako Boateng, has a matter of great importance, has advised pregnant women in the country especially the Bono East region to take their antenatal care (ANC) visits very seriously.
Dr. Fred Adomako, encouraged them to start attending ANC at the early stages of their pregnancy to prevent any adverse pregnancy outcome.
The Bono East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, made this disclosure at the Seankay Hotel in the Kintampo South District when his outfit in partnership with PATH met relevant stakeholders to address them on the progress of the Integrated Antenatal Care Project.
To address the critical challenges of neonatal and maternal mortality, Ghana Health Service and PATH expanded infectious disease screening and treatment among pregnant women through the Integrated Antenatal Care Project.
Speaking to reporters, Dr. Boateng emphasized the importance of regular ANC visits in preventing stillbirths and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. He bemoaned the rate of stillbirth as well as the maternal mortality ratio in the region.
He however explained that early and consistent ANC visits allow healthcare providers to monitor the health of both the mother and the unborn child, and to identify and address any potential complications or risk factors in a timely manner.
“If you look at the stillbirth rate it has been hovering around 400 in a year, so it means that in a year, about 400 children didn’t see the light of the day, the mother has one to the normal ANC and has delivered but the baby was dead, that is the challenge we are facing
“Last year, our maternal mortality ratio was 100 women dying per 100,000 women delivered as compared to the previous year which was 88, so what are we doing wrong, that is the question and that is what we sought an answer in this integrated ANC project.
“People coming to ANC at an early particular point, we decided to offer them what we call point of care testing and this point of care testing included other things in testing which our normal ANC do not do.
“When women are pregnant it’s difficult to pick infections during ANC so the point of care testing was to find out if we can pick infections that are difficult to pick during ANC so that all these adverse pregnancy outcomes can be curtailed. He said.
Dr. Fred Adomako Boateng, outlined some measures taken by his outfit as a result of the Integrated Antenatal Care Project to curb adverse pregnancy outcomes in the Bono East region
“We engaged the community, we did pregnancy school, we did health promotion to create a lot of demands so that women will come.
“Please, come to the Antenatal Care Clinic as early as possible when you see that you are pregnant and then, there are a lot of measures that we can take in the community and in the facility so you can deliver, have your life safe and baby safe.” He told our reporter
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
