Vice-President of the Paediatric Society of Ghana, Dr. Mame Yaa Nyarko, has underscored the importance of “exclusive breastfeeding” noting that it makes babies grow stronger.
She made this remark during a training workshop for midwives last Monday in Accra.
The workshop was organised by Philips Healthcare, a subsidiary of Royal Philips, an electrical production company to train midwives on how to use ultrasound system during pregnancy and at the onset of labour.
She stated that exclusive feeding tends to reduce the risk of lactating mothers acquiring breast and cervical cancer.
She added that it was essential for both mothers and children, asserting that exclusive breastfeeding for first six months after birth helps mothers to regain their pre-pregnancy weight.
Dr. Nyarko remarked that despite the positive gains, records indicated that currently, most mothers in Ghana were not fond of practising exclusive breast feeding which is supposed to last for the first six months after birth.
To this end, she advised health practitioners to educate mothers on how to practise exclusive breastfeeding and maintain lactation.
Thirty midwives who were selected from various health centres were also taught the importance of breastfeeding and how to encourage mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies.
The workshop, which was on the theme: “Improving Clinical Outcomes Through Midwifery-led Maternal Health,” served as a platform to unveil the mobile ultrasound system, ‘VISIQ.
Apart from the training programme, Philips Healthcare also presented the Pentecost Hospital in Madina in Accra with a mobile ultrasound system at the cost of GHC15, 000, for monitoring and the early detection of complication during pregnancy.
A Senior Application Specialist at Philips, Ms Johanna Maack, who took the midwives through an ultra-scan session, noted that if midwives were trained on how to do ultrasound scan, there would be an improvement in maternal health care in most health facilities.
General Manager of the Pentecost Hospital, Mr. George Afrifa, said the VISIQ ultrasound system donated to his outfit would improve maternal health care there and increase the number of ultrasound scan performed in the hospital.
Mr. Afrifa indicated that, the training would also enable the midwives to make proper assessment of expectant mothers and unborn babies, through the performance of ultrasound scan.
He commended Philips Healthcare for its support and gave an assurance that the system would be put to good use.
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