Neonatal infections leading cause of newborn deaths in Bono East
Neonatal infections are the leading cause of newborn deaths in the Bono East Region, Dr (Mrs) Paulina Clara Appiah, Deputy Director in charge of Public Health at the Bono East Regional Directorate of Health, has said.
That notwithstanding, she said, the Directorate had introduced stringent measures to reduce neonatal deaths to push the nation’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Three of good health and well-being as well as the Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
Dr Appiah was speaking at a five-day training workshop for selected health professionals, including midwives, public health nurses, pharmacists and laboratory workers at Kintampo in the Bono East region.
Drawn from five districts and municipalities in the region, the workshop aimed at equipping health professionals with additional knowledge about pregnancy infections and related issues.
PATH-Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, Dr Appiah explained, was partnering with the Directorate to implement a project dubbed “Integrated Antenatal Care” with funding from the Pfizer Foundation to address infections in pregnancies and newborns.
She said neonatal infections were very common in the region and appealed for support for the project’s implementation to achieve useful outcomes to bring the situation under control.
The project also aimed at preventing infections in pregnant women and nursing mothers as well as controlling premature deliveries.
Dr George Kwadwo Amofa, the Project Lead, PATH-Ghana, urged stakeholders to collaborate and tackle newborn deaths, saying infection during pregnancy remained a key concern.
“The project, therefore, focused on addressing the menace appreciatively by diagnosing and managing the situation to end mortality in new borns,” he added.
Dr Amofa explained the project would also look at designing a system where people are referred to a centre for further support in the treatment process and encouraged communities to educate pregnant women to patronise ante-natal and post-natal clinics.
He urged the participants to take the training seriously and impart the knowledge acquired to help the region to end neo-natal deaths and pregnancy-related infections.