Male staff of 33 health centres in Northern, Upper West and Volta Regions have been trained as facilitators of father-to-father groups in their communities to ensure that they become more involved in issues of maternal and child health.

The father-to-father groups seek to influence existing gender relations to raise men’s consciences about gender inequities and how they contribute to maternal and child mortality and morbidity, which prevent women and girls from fulfilling their human rights.

The five-day training, which ended in Tamale, forms part of the Technology for Maternal and Child Health (T4MCH) project being implemented by Savana Signatures, an NGO, with support from Global Affairs Canada, and SALASAN, both Canadian organizations, to reduce maternal and infant mortality.

Some of the districts where the T4MCH project is being implemented include North Gonja, Sawla/Tuna/Kalba, Sagnarigu, Mamprugu/Moaduri, Jirapa, Wa West, Wa East, Nkwanta South and Kadjebi.

Madam Patience Buaheng, Deputy Northern Regional Health Promotion Officer, who spoke during the end of the training in Tamale, expressed worry about the increasing cases of maternal and infant mortality in the region.

Madam Buaheng blamed the situation on pregnant women, who did not visit hospitals for antenatal care, leading to complications during, and after childbirth.

She advised pregnant women to regularly visit health centres to check on the status of their pregnancies to ensure safe delivery.

Mr John Stephen Agbenyo, Executive Director of Savana Signatures, said the T4MCH project also developed maternal and child health messages on nutrition, fetal development and exclusive breastfeeding, which was transmitted to pregnant women and mothers via SMS and voice calls in nine local languages including Gonga, Dagbani, and Ewe to help stem maternal and child mortality.