Ghana Coalition of NGO`s wants maternal deaths reduced
MR. SAMUEL Oracca-Tetteh the chairman of Ghana Coalition of NGOs in health has called on civil society organizations in collaboration with Ministry of Health (MOH) to co-operate and help reduce maternal death.
Speaking at the second regional civil society health forum in Kumasi under the theme: “Going Beyond policy to Action to reach the unreached-The role of civil society organizations in collaborating with ministry of health” Mr. Orraca-Tetteh explained that the aim of the forum was to bring all actors together to discuss, deliberate; collaborate, share views and ideas to address the regions health issues.
According to the chairman, the regional annual health review report for 2008 from the regional Ghana Health Services, Ghana as a country will not be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) if by 2015 other people or places are still not accessible to health related issues.
He stressed that there is the need to take pragmatic measures to address the challenges facing the unreached.
He observed that being unreached is about time, convenience and costs on life related issues, adding that experiences over the past few years have led to the conclusion that if one does not have money, one dies and the focus has now shifted to ensuring that those people do so and expressed that the concepts of getting the policies and systems right and responsive, hence policy advocacy and influencing to ensure accountability and adoption of rights based approaches have crept into development Management.
He noted that is it in this regard that the contribution of the civil society is remarkable in reaching the unreached and expressed the need to policy advocacy and rights – orientation which he said is also about research information and knowledge management, networking, partnering and collaboration in areas in which civil society has contributed to addressing the needs of the under served.
The Ashanti Regional Metro Health Director, Dr. Kwasi Yeboah Awudzi also called for a collaboration with the teaching and the small Hospitals in order to reduce the over burden of maternal cases to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) on maternal health issue to reduce the dangers.
Sheik Ishmaila Dauda, the chairman of United Front for Islamic Affairs in Ashanti Region who presided over the forum commended the organizers and expressed that it will help to improve the knowledge base of the participants on maternal health issues and to become innovative and creative because of the globalization of the world.
He also appealed to them to open their doors to opinion leaders of the communities who have influence on the people in the communities through collaboration and co-operation.