Madam Mercy Borkaifio Bortey, a 71-year-old Principal Midwifery Officer at the Bengali Hospital in Tema, has advised midwives to see the profession as a calling and be dedicated to helping pregnant women to deliver safely. Madam Bortey, also a scrub or theatre nurse, said when seen as a calling and with commitment to duty, midwives would help to reduce maternal mortality. She said although some patients in labour could sometimes be difficult to handle, it was important for the midwives to build endurance and compassion for the job and ask God for strength and guidance. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Madam Bortey advised pregnant women to strictly follow the instructions of their midwives (during the term of pregnancy, labour, and post-partum) as they had been trained to ensure the protection of the mother and baby through the stages of childbirth. She advised pregnant women to take their antenatal classes seriously, saying: 'Though it is good to pray, it must be done alongside orthodox treatment and care for the safety of both the mother and baby.' She urged men to also take interest in the antenatal care of their expectant mothers to serve as their support base. Prior to enrolling as a midwife, Madam Bortey said she had worked as a general nurse at the Tema General Hospital for about 20 years before gaining admission to the Koforidua Midwifery Training School and completed in 1992. She said during her practicals at the Hospital as a nurse, she had the opportunity to work in all the departments, during which she developed the love for scrubbing. A scrub nurse handles sterile equipment while assisting a surgeon during a surgical operation. Madam Bortey said she had helped deliver more than 350 babies and was still dedicated to delivering more until her last breath. 'I am an all-round woman; I like the work, and I enjoy seeing people deliver safely. I will do it till my last breath,' she said with a smile. Touching on some challenges midwives face, she said it was distressing to prepar e a patient for a caesarean section, and the doctor might not be immediately ready to attend to the patient. Madam Bortey expressed worry over the refusal of some pregnant women to consent to a Caesarean section, mostly because 'their pastors had prophesied that they will have spontaneous vaginal delivery.' She urged pastors to encourage women to heed to doctors' advice for caesarean section, especially when there were complications, and their anatomy could not support self-delivery. Source: Ghana News Agency
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