Rate Of Preterm Baby Deaths Worrying

The Ashanti Regional Health Director, Dr. Emmanuel Kwadwo Tinkorang, has expressed concern about the high rate of preterm baby deaths and said more should be done to reverse the trend.

To help safe these babies, he called for the construction of a neonatal intensive care unit in the region.

He was speaking at the regional celebration of this year's world prematurity day held in Kumasi.

The chosen theme for the event was 'Let them thrive; respectful care for the smallest'.

The day has been instituted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to bring attention and urgency to global initiatives to address preterm births.

Dr. Tinkorang identified poor nutrition, poor maternal health and the lack of quality antenatal care as conditions that tended to cause premature births.

He encouraged the practice of the 'kangaroo mother-care' - mothers keeping such babies warm through skin contact between mother and baby, exclusive breastfeeding and prevention of infections both in the hospital and at home and said these were important to keep them alive.

Dr. Rita Fosu Yeboah, the Regional Newborn Coordinator, said there should be concerted effort to tackle issues relating to preterm births.

It is estimated that about 128,000 such births occur in Ghana every year. Worldwide, about 15 million premature babies are born annually.

Dr. Yeboah indicated that 90 per cent of such babies in developing countries would often die compared to 10 per cent in the developed nations.

Ashanti recorded 13,000 such births in year 2015 and the figure shot up to 12,700, last year. As of the end of October, 2017, in excess of 11,000 preterm births had been reported.

Nana Abena Akuamoa-Boateng, Executive Director of Women's Health to Wealth, asked that special units were set up in the various health facilities to cater for those babies.