<<Print>>

The Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate has met with obstetric & gynaecology specialists and paediatricians in the region to solicit their support in developing and implementing innovative strategies to improve the survival of pregnant women and newborns. At a special breakfast meeting, the specialists, together with officials of the directorate, brainstormed innovations that could be adopted so that more mothers and newborns survive after delivery. They agreed that to achieve this, maternal health specialists needed to be innovative, more positive in their work and also develop and follow a road map to know �where we are now and where we want to get to; how we can get there and how we will know that we are there�. In her opening statement at the meeting, Dr Linda A. Vanotoo, the Regional Director of Health Services, said the purpose of the meeting, which was the first of its kind, was to update the specialists on the maternal and newborn care situation in the region. Furthermore, the forum was to create an avenue for networking, and identify structures to strengthen referral and central issues hampering quality of care in the region. Dr Vanotoo said other objectives of the meeting were to �celebrate our successes, identify and use our strengths and opportunities, rebrand our work and corporal image and most importantly, to help mothers and babies to survive. Reasons to respond to duty She stressed that health specialists working in the area of maternal health were bound by their professional, civic, ethical and social responsibilities to respond to duty, in addition to the fact that they were �paid to do the job�. What do pregnant women need? Dr Vanotoo reminded the specialists that pregnant women needed professional support from providers, which comprises timely and accurate information on the progress of the pregnancy, accurate and prompt documentation of all findings, right assessment (laboratory tests, scan etc), provision of available interventions at the right time and appropriate and timely follow-ups. Moreover, she said, specialists must make the effort to take also care of the concerns of families involved in the pregnancy. She cited, for instance, the fact that husbands and families wanted to be happy with birth outcomes and looked forward to seeing live and healthy babies and mothers, expected good post-natal care for mother and baby and access to information about interventions. Dr Vanotoo entreated the specialists to treat each pregnancy as new/special, ensure surveillance on each pregnant woman and newborn, look out for and follow up on all adverse findings in pregnant women and children and maintain the link between clinical care and public health for a continuum of care for mother and baby. Strategies These, she stated, could be achieved by re-organising clinic times, including schedule for nurses and doctors during peak and low seasons and day and night shifts. Other innovations that could be explored were organisation of pregnancy schools, use of pregnancy registers, assigning pregnant women to community health nurses and midwives for follow up and report on delivery outcomes for mother and baby. Outreach services could also be organised in communities, Dr Vanotoo said, and stressed that it was essential that the specialists establish links with private providers, traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and spiritualists, whose services were also patronised by pregnant women. She emphasised that �the wheels for achieving success in maternal and newborn survival are innovative and practical leadership, commitment, determination and the celebration of successes�. Currently, the regional health directorate had put in place a team to review reports and prompt feedback was given on reviewed reports, said Dr Vanotoo. Additionally, the region has been zoned and assigned to obstetric & gynaecology specialists and paediatricians, while a structured training in neonatal resuscitation is also in place.