Women for Africa Foundation, a Spanish non-profit entity, in collaboration with the Spanish Midwifery Council of Nurses, has ended a seven-month ultrasound training project for nurses and midwives in Ghana to improve efficiency in the country's healthcare delivery system. The project, dubbed: 'Training in Obstetric Ultrasound for Nurses and Midwives in the Ghanaian Public Health System,' was funded by the Government of Canary Island and in partnership with Ruth Adzo Asamoa Memorial Foundation (RAAM Foundation). Ultrasound is a noninvasive imaging test that shows structures inside the human body using high-intensity sound waves. Healthcare providers use ultrasound exams for purposes such as determination of pregnancy, diagnostics, and for image guidance during certain procedures. More than 60 midwives and nurses in underserved rural hospitals in the Volta and Northern regions were trained in obstetric ultrasound, which also saw the distribution of 20 mobile obstetric ultrasound units to those hospitals. Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Minister of Health, in a speech read on his behalf, said over the past years, institutional maternal mortality had been fluctuating, a phenomenon that may be attributable to delays in the referral process, and detection of complications at the lower levels, especially the health centres. There were inadequate laboratory services and scanning facilities limiting access by community members, particularly pregnant women to relevant services when needed, he said. 'Unfortunately, the well-equipped health facilities are far away from most of the communities. This, coupled with bad road network in certain parts of the country, make it difficult for community members, particularly pregnant women, to access these facilities,' the Health Minister said. 'In response to the difficulties, the community members resort to traditional medicine, which in most cases leads to complications in pregnancy, which when untreated, could result in mortality.' 'It is, therefore, relieving to hear that these services are being brought to the doorsteps of the community members, especially women.' He, thus, acknowledged the support from the foundations and their respective donors to healthcare delivery in Ghana and commended them for their continuous contributions to the sector. He encouraged the beneficiaries to make good use of the knowledge gained and ensure effective maintenance of the equipment received to enhance healthcare delivery, especially as the country strive to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030. Mr Javier Gutierrez, the Ambassador of Spain to Ghana, acknowledged the generous contribution from the Spanish institutions and the Government of the Canary Islands, and the RAMM Foundation for their contributions to improve health systems in Ghana. 'The reference project is a good example of the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach and the benefits indicates that more could be achieved through private-public partnerships,' he said. Dra Teresa Langle de Paz, the Director General, Women in Africa Foundation, commended beneficiaries of the project for making the training a success and urged them to share the knowledge acquired to improve maternal health in their respective regions and districts.
Source: Ghana News Agency