Pharmacists outline visions to curtail maternal mortality

The Pharmaceutical Service (PS), in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has outlined plans to curtail the spate of maternal mortality in the country. The plans, which include advisory and counseling roles, are meant to increase access to medicines, by ensuring the adequate supply of effective and safe medicines to pregnant women at all levels of healthcare, and at affordable costs.

This was made known by the Director of the PS, Mr. James Ohemeng Kyei, at a pharmacy managers meeting, which was under the theme 'Reducing maternal mortality in Ghana, Optimizing the Role of the Pharmacist,' in Koforidua last Tuesday.

According to him, pharmacists, by virtue of the training, experience and knowledge imbedded in them, have crucial roles to play in managing the health and welfare of pregnant women.

He continued that during the pre-natal period, pharmacists were to advice pregnant women to avoid medicines that were contra-indicated in pregnancy, and could put the lives of the unborn child and mother at risk.

Mr. Kyei reiterated that the pharmacist was required, as stated in the Standard for Pharmaceutical Care (SPC) and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), to play an advisory role to all members of the medical care team, including doctors, nurses and midwives on the rational use of medicines.

“In order to improve on quality service delivery, pharmacists are mandated to document interventions made on all prescriptions, including those meant for pregnant women,” he underscored.

He stated that the current institutional maternal mortality ratio of 201 deaths per 100,000 live births in Ghana was unfortunate, which called for collective efforts to overturn the figure.

The PS Boss indicated that Post Partum Hemorrhage (PPH) has been one of the world's leading causes of maternal mortality.

According to him, information from the World Health Organisation (WHO), indicates that about 14 million cases of PPH are reported every year, a situation which was caused by ante-natal hemorrhage, anemia, eclampsia, unsafe abortions and obstructed labour.