Maternal healthcare crisis: midwives use flashlights in baby delivery

Midwives in Tuna, a town in the Upper West Region have resorted to using torch lights and lights from mobile phones to deliver babies.

This followed the torrential rains that ripped off the roof of the Good Shepherd Health Center and destroyed portions of the facility.

Joy News learnt that the hardest hit areas were the laboratory and the labor ward.

The midwives said the situation has left them helpless and not even relocation to a makeshift structure has helped salvage the situation.

Midwife in charge, Juliana Bayire stated that the roofing of the makeshift structure leaks and power supply to the labor ward has been cut off.

“The midwives here cannot stay in the building to monitor women when it rains because we are afraid the building may collapse on us”, she revealed.

Juliana Bayire explained that when they are delivering, “sometimes we use our phones and we are forced to ask relatives of patients to purchase the batteries for the flashlights if we do not have money”.

The situation has put maternal health care in the town on the brink as women who are due delivery in the next month are apprehensive over the development.

One pregnant woman told Joy News “I am here for ante natal care but I am already frightened. If it starts to rain, I will be forced to go back to my town”.

She explained that it will be difficult for her to go back because her community, Swomo, is far (15km) from the hospital.

Also, she pleaded with the government to fix the leaking roof of the hospital to give the pregnant women a much safer place to deliver their babies.

Story by Ghana | myjoyonline.com | Nasiba Yakubu | [Intern] | [email protected]