HEALTH PERSONNEL'S WARNED AGAINST DEMANDING MONEY FROM PREGNANT WOMEN BEFORE RENDERING HEALTH CARE SERVICES

The Upper East Regional Health Director, Dr. Winfred Ofosu, has warned health facilities and medical staff against demanding monies from pregnant women before rendering health care services.

According to Dr. Ofosu, the Regional Health Directorate has sanctioned two medical officers of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital for demanding monies from pregnant women.

Dr. Ofosu, who declined to disclose the identities of the medical officers warned that anyone caught demanding money from pregnant women would be dealt with drastically.

He said that the government was already taking care of the medical bills of pregnant women, sending a stern warning to those engaged in the illgeality to stop.

In an interview with Citi News in Bolgatanga, Dr. Ofosu said mechanisms were being put in place to check the illegality

“We know that in some healthcare facilities they collect some monies which we are stopping. Actually, we have put measures in place to sanction any staff who collects illegal monies because delivery is free in this country so pregnant women who go to facilities to deliver are not to pay any money because government is paying for it.

“Two medical staff of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital who have been demanding monies from pregnant women have been sanctioned. They have been queried and in their response, they promised to stop the practice and if they continue they may get stiffer punishment including dismissal from the service”.

Dr. Ofosu added that at no point should pregnant women or those in labour be asked to pay money whether at the laboratory, anaesthetics, maternity, scan unit among others.

He further entreated pregnant women and their relatives to call him anytime they are asked to pay monies at health facilities in the region.

Although the region made strides with 70 percent in skilled delivery, they recorded 44 maternal deaths in 2017, compared to 33 deaths in 2016.

Dr. Ofosu said there were cases of septic abortions, and that some women who developed complications did not receive care at the right time leading to the deaths.

Source: citinewsroom.com

WHO and UNICEF issue new guidance to promote breastfeeding in health facilities globally

WHO and UNICEF issued new ten-step guidance to increase support for breastfeeding in health facilities that provide maternity and newborn services at Geneva on April 11, 2018. Breastfeeding all babies for the first 2 years would save the lives of more than 820 000 children under age 5 annually.

The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding underpin the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, which both organizations launched in 1991. The practical guidance encourages new mothers to breastfeed and informs health workers how best to support breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is vital to a child’s lifelong health, and reduces costs for health facilities, families, and governments. Breastfeeding within the first hour of birth protects newborn babies from infections and saves lives. Infants are at greater risk of death due to diarrhoea and other infections when they are only partially breastfed or not breastfed at all. Breastfeeding also improves IQ, school readiness and attendance, and is associated with higher income in adult life. It also reduces the risk of breast cancer in the mother.

"Breastfeeding saves lives. Its benefits help keep babies healthy in their first days and last will into adulthood," says UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore. "But breastfeeding requires support, encouragement and guidance. With these basic steps, implemented properly, we can significantly improve breastfeeding rates around the world and give children the best possible start in life."

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that in many hospitals and communities around the world, whether a child can be breastfed or not can make the difference between life and death, and whether a child will develop to reach his or her full potential.

"Hospitals are not there just to cure the ill. They are there to promote life and ensure people can thrive and live their lives to their full potential," says Dr Tedros. "As part of every country’s drive to achieve universal health coverage, there is no better or more crucial place to start than by ensuring the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding are the standard for care of mothers and their babies."

The new guidance describes practical steps countries should take to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in facilities providing maternity and newborn services. They provide the immediate health system platform to help mothers initiate breastfeeding within the first hour and breastfeed exclusively for six months.

It describes how hospitals should have a written breastfeeding policy in place, staff competencies, and antenatal and post-birth care, including breastfeeding support for mothers. It also recommends limited use of breastmilk substitutes, rooming-in, responsive feeding, educating parents on the use of bottles and pacifiers, and support when mothers and babies are discharged from hospital.

Note:
Early initiation of breastfeeding, within one hour of birth, protects the newborn from acquiring infections and reduces newborn mortality. Starting breastfeeding early increases the chances of a successful continuation of breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding for six months has many benefits for the infant and mother. Chief among these is protection against gastrointestinal infections and malnutrition, which are observed not only in developing but also industrialized countries.

Breast-milk is also an important source of energy and nutrients in children aged 6–23 months. It can provide half or more of a child’s energy needs between 6-12 months, and one-third of energy needs between 12-24 months. Breast-milk is also a critical source of energy and nutrients during illness, and reduces mortality among children who are malnourished.

Children and adolescents who were breastfed as babies are less likely to be overweight or obese.

A nine-week baby dies as doctor cuts oxygen supply over nonpayment of bills

A nine-week-old baby boy has died at the St Gregory Hospital at Kasoa in the Central Region because his parents could not afford the cost of aiding his breathing with an oxygen machine.

Little Prosper's parents tell Joy News a medical doctor on duty pulled the plug from the oxygen machine because they could not pay GHS533 to keep their son alive.

Hospital authorities are tight-lipped on the issue explaining they are investigating the circumstances that led to the death of the baby. 

Prosper was born on January 19, 2018, fell sick and was taken to the hospital on March 5 and died three weeks later.

The baby's mother, Sefakor, told Joy News Joojo Cobbinah, that a few weeks after the baby was born she realised he not breathing well.

According to Sefakor, after preliminary tests, the St Gregory Hospital admitted them with the intention of transferring the case to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital subsequently.

The baby was given blood and kept on the oxygen machine because he could not breathe well.

However, when it became clear the family could not pay for the cost of treatment before the intended transfer to Korle Bu, the doctor decided to take a drastic decision.

"That Saturday, the Doctor came, he ask me that I hear from my husband [about the bills] I say I didn't hear. Then he removed the oxygen...it is too late," Sefakor managed in the little English she could speak.

The baby's father, Kennedy Kwao, said he chose the name 'Prosper' because he was hopeful that the boy will grow up to become a prosperous man.

That hope, however, has been curtailed.

Source: myjoyonline.com