The Ho Municipal Hospital has achieved a zero record of maternal death over the past four years, with no death recorded among pregnant women who attended antenatal at the facility within the period.
The issue of high maternal mortality had become a major development issue in the area, and before May 2013, the hospital, which was considered a ‘death camp’, was on the average recording between 12 and 14 maternal deaths among expectant mothers annually.
In 2012, the hospital recorded 14 maternal deaths, making it necessary for authorities at the facility to put in place measures to prevent such deaths, and that yielded positive results as the hospital has not recorded any maternal death in the Ho municipality in the past four years.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic during a presentation to the Maternity Ward of the Ho Municipal Hospital by Global FM, a local FM station in Ho, the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Lawrence Kumi, said the facility instituted measures to give maximum attention to pregnant women to ensure that those with complications were given immediate care.
Monitoring
Additionally, Dr Kumi said expectant mothers who had previous records of delivering through surgery (caesarean section) were admitted and monitored to receive the necessary attention, while staff were also encouraged to put in their best, as those whose performance fell below expectation were reprimanded.
He noted that the success achieved had contributed to the increase in the number of antenatal attendants to the hospital, stressing that: “Moreover, I must say that I have hardworking midwives and nurses who believe that no woman has to die while performing biological duty.”
Supporting the measures instituted by the hospital, the queenmothers of the Asogli State, led by the Ho-Dome Queenmother, Mama Attrato, presented awards to hardworking health workers, especially nurses and midwives who helped the hospital record zero death in 2015.
The donation formed part of the organisation’s mission of supporting the provision of quality health services in the Ho municipality. The items, including detergents, baby diapers, sanitary towels and assorted toiletries, were presented to the ward to mark the Mother’s Day celebration, which fell on May 18.
Celebrating mothers
The Programmes Manager of the radio station, Mr Egypt Kudoto, said the presentation was the initiative of the former Minister of Transport, Madam Dzifa Attivor, to celebrate mothers at the hospital.
The Matron of the hospital, Mrs Beatrice Abiwu, expressed gratitude to the former minister and the radio station for the gesture and appealed to others to emulate the good example.
As part of efforts to improve on the facilities in the hospital, the Labour Ward which used to leak badly is receiving a facelift to make life better for the expectant mothers. Also, the hospital has constructed a 36-bed capacity mothers’ lodge to cater for the accommodation needs of relatives of admitted patients in the hospital.
Dr Kumi said the hospital’s main headache had been lack of funding, since the hospital had not received its reimbursement of the National Health Insurance Scheme funds for the past 12 months.
He noted that if that challenge was addressed the hospital could continue with other outlined projects. Meanwhile, he has called on benevolent organisations to assist the hospital realise its dream of becoming the best in the country.
