Some Members of Parliament (MPs) in Ghana have pledged their support towards working to increase maternal and newborn survival in Ghana. The MPs made the pledge at a meeting with the MamaYe Advocacy Coalition, a maternal and newborn health platform made up of various non-governmental organisations on Thursday.

The event, which took place at the Kofi Annan Centre for Excellence in ICT, saw members of the Health, Local Government and Rural Development, Gender and Children and the Finance Committees signing pledge forms to join hands with all stakeholders to improve maternal and newborn health in the country.

Chairman of the Health Committee, Hon. Joseph Yieleh Chireh who also chaired the meeting, expressed dismay at the rate at which mothers are dying from preventable causes. He said members of parliament have a significant role to play in ensuring that many more mothers survive from child birth.

“As MPs, we must ensure that our duties are not restricted to making laws, but we must also ensure that those responsible for their implementation do so through our oversight responsibilities,” Hon. Yieleh Chireh said.

“It is really worrying when you hear about the statistics, but you cannot throw your hands in despair,” he added.

A member of the MamaYe Coalition and the Dean of the School of Public Health - University of Ghana, Prof. Richard Adanu, said Ghana is not making progress towards achieving the MDGs as expected. He said: “every month, we lose 225 women from deaths due to pregnancy complications.”

He however asserted that: “if the delays in seeking healthcare, delays in accessing health facilities and the delays in receiving proper care from health facilities are addressed, many women and their babies will be saved.”

Prof. Adanu urged the MPs to make MNH a national priority through their interactions with members of their constituency and to also encourage the government to increase funding to the health sector and bring basic obstetric care facilities closer to all communities.

Prof. Adanu further launched the MPs booklet that laid out what the MPs can and must do to help improve maternal and newborn health in Ghana. The booklet stipulates very pragmatic ways the MPs can join the campaign, both as representatives of their constituents and as legislators.

On her part, MP for Tarkwa Nsuaem and Ranking Member of the Gender and Children Committee, Hon Gifty E. Kusi, revealed that her office has been working with various groups and facilities to improve the quality of care for pregnant mothers. She said maternal and newborn health requires commitment from everyone because everyone is affected.

Executive Director of the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), Vicky T. Okine, expressed delight at the commitment shown by the MPs and advised that it should translate to physical contribution towards the cause. She urged the MPs present to spread the word to their colleagues who were unable to attend the meeting.

The event was attended by the Chairperson of the Committee on Gender and Children, Hon. Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Hon, Comfort Cudjoe, and former mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Hon. Patricia Appiagyei.

The MamaYe Advocacy Coalition is made up of Evidence for Action, School of Public Health, Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights, Hope for Future Generations, Care Net Ghana, Centre for Community Studies, Action and Development Health Foundation of Ghana, Ipas Ghana, Coalition of NGOs in Health, Curious Minds, SEND Ghana, Universal Access to Healthcare Campaign, Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, Integrated Social Development Centre, Ghana Registered Midwives Association, International Confederation of Midwives and Rural-Urban Women And Children Development Agency.