The people of Nanung, particularly women, in the farming community of Nakpayili, in Nanumba South District of the Northern Region, have heaved a sigh of relief.
This follows the construction of an ultra-modern maternity ward at the only health facility in the Nakpayili community to support expectant mothers during pregnancy and labour.
Prior to the construction of the maternity ward, expectant mothers in the community used to travel very far to Wulensi and Bimbila to access pregnancy and delivery services. Others also relied heavily on traditional herbal health products for the maintenance of pregnancy cases and delivery, therefore troubling many expectant mothers in the area.
Consequently, the construction of the new maternity block at the Nakpayili CHPS compound is to provide quality maternity care for about thirty communities within the Nanumba South District of the Northern Region.
Women in these communities would regularly visit the facility to access quality healthcare during pregnancy and labour.
Once labour starts, women within the beneficiary communities will have the opportunity to move to the facility so that labour and giving birth can be assisted by a skilled birth attendant.
The aim of the facility is to improve accessibility to skilled care and thus reduce morbidity and mortality for mothers and neonates should complications arise.
The Abuya Foundation conducted some studies and obtained reports of a favourable effect on the outcome for women and their newborns, which informed the decision to establish the facility that was commissioned last Friday, December 8, 2023.
Speaking at the commissioning of the facility, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Abuya Group, Alhaji Aminu Iddrisu, said he was very familiar with the challenges facing the communities in Nanung, particularly in Nakpayili, and therefore would always work with stakeholders to address them without any hesitation.
The midwife at the facility, Jennifer Akutto, explained that the impact the maternity ward would have on the beneficiary communities would be huge considering the equipment accompanying the ward.
She disclosed that at least more than thirty communities in the area would benefit directly and indirectly from the services of the facility.
The man in charge of the health facility (CHPS) compound, Evans Kipoo, could not hold back his joy following the commissioning of the ultramodern edifice with the best of equipment installed.
He emphasised the positive role the maternity block would play in changing the narrative of the health sector in the community.
The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketsia, who was one of the dignitaries who graced the occasion, lauded the CEO of Abuya Group, Alhaji Aminu Iddrisu, for using the corporate social responsibility arm of his company, thus thus Abuya Foundation, to touch lives and to also offer social services to helpless communities through important community projects.
Johnson Asiedu Nketsia noted, “We politicians are all fighting for development. And so if there is a non-politician who is a citizen and he is also engaged in development, it means that at that point our interests coincide. And so we must assist each other in this endeavour, and that is why we are here. You heard about the story of Alhaji Abuya, beginning with the construction of a school for his community, followed by the construction of a mosque, which is a prayer house, and today he has completed a maternity ward, which signifies the beginning of life. So all three key projects are projects that have been carefully selected, and I want to thank him from the bottom of my heart.”
The chances of women dying because of complications of pregnancy and childbirth are still high in many parts of Ghana and around the world.
The main direct causes of maternal and perinatal deaths are unsafe abortion, eclampsia, haemorrhage, obstructed labour, infections, and sepsis.
Most of these deaths can be prevented with early identification and treatment of complications. But it would depend on the capacity and availability of capable hands and machines at the facility.
The poor utilisation of maternal health services and antenatal care in areas where deaths are high is mainly the result of barriers to accessing quality healthcare.
