Over the past few decades, the maternal mortality rate in Ghana has seen a steady decline due to several factors and robust systems put in place to ensure safe pregnancy and delivery. Data available to the Ghana Health Service shows a total number of 875 maternal deaths in 2018 and 838 in 2019. This figure further decreased to 776 in 2020 despite the increase in total deliveries while institutional maternal mortality ratio reduced from 117 in 2019 to 106 in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and all its associated impact.
On one of Naomi Otua’s regular trips to visit her grandson James in the town of Assin Fosu in Ghana’s Central Region, she noticed something was seriously wrong. The 10-year-old’s eyes were jaundiced and he had lost a significant amount of weight. Worried, Otua decided to take James to the Suhum Government Hospital.
When women traditional leaders from different parts of the country, adorned in beautiful regalia gather, the most likely reason is to grace a very important occasion, but this time that was not the case. Queen mothers from all over Ghana met under the canopy of the Family Health Division of the Ghana Health Service to share ideas on how to promote exclusive breastfeeding and good Maternal and Child nutrition in their traditional areas and beyond through the Nutrition Advocacy and Community Mobilization Initiative.
Fast-spreading misinformation online is hard to measure, but the 10 organizations and 10 African fact-checking groups that make up the Africa Infodemic Response Alliance are working to track and debunk dangerous myths on the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines.
Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been hailed as exemplary for its planning, speed and high-level leadership, but dig a little deeper and there are yet more crucial lessons in working with far-flung communities and building up trust in the vaccines.
The Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana, H E Gunner Andreas Holm has reiterated his government’s commitment to ensuring that other essential health services continue as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers on. He said this when he paid a courtesy call on WHO Country Representative, Dr Francis Kasolo at his office as part of his end of duty tour of Ghana.
The Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Mr Kwabena Oko-Afari has described as an interesting coincidence, the number of hospitals requesting Patient Monitors from the Ministry in recent times, and WHO’s timely intervention.
Ghana embarked on intense actions to contain the coronavirus outbreak since the first two cases were confirmed on 12 March 2020. Public health measures such as mandatory wearing of facemasks in public places, social distancing, and hand hygiene were instituted to curtail the spread of the virus. For optimal care of those infected with coronavirus, various guidelines were adapted and isolation/treatment facilities were quickly identified and equipped to receive and manage suspected and confirmed cases.
The First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo has lauded an initiative to mobilize community support in promoting good nutrition and called on all to help intensify efforts to promote six months of exclusive breastfeeding.
She made this call at the opening session of the Nutrition Advocacy and Community Mobilization Initiative, a forum to engage esteemed traditional and religious leaders to promote nutrition interventions for women and children in Ghana.
