Health News of Saturday, 29 July 2017

Source: theheraldghana.com

90 newborns dying every day unacceptable - Dr. Nsiah-Asare

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Children, they say are the future leaders and tomorrow belongs to them, but how do we guarantee them that future, if a newborn baby dies every 15 minutes in Ghana representing 90 deaths daily.

All these are happening in 2017, when the rest of the world, have gone beyond dealing with the basic necessities, such as the provision of quality health care.

What can we get right in this country? Our roads are in deplorable state, our educational standards are falling, rainfall is causing havoc, instead of its being a blessing, it has become a curse to us and now this.

If we can’t afford to do anything for our mothers, can’t we at least ensue they have safe delivery when they go to the hospital or clinic?

The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, blamed most of the setbacks in the health sector on inadequate staff, especially midwives.

This is an irony because, for months now, nurses have had to picket at the Ministry of Health, before their clearance are secured and posted.

We have no shortage of trained nurses, the numbers still at home awaiting posting, which is being done in piece meal basis, are enough to arrest the situation.

If we can afford to fail in every sector of the society, not in health care delivery, because at one point or another, we all seek medical attention and God forbid, should you be taken ill outside any of our cities and towns.

We waste time everyday talking about tangential issues, politics, has dominated most of our discussions and we have all lost sight of the most critical things.

The government and especially the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, must quickly get together to find a lasting solution to this problem.

Ghanaians deserve better than this, this country is not a banana republic where nothing works.

We can fail in everything, but not the death of newly born babies.