The Shai Osudoku District Hospital at Dodowa has since 2011 recorded no maternal death as a result of its “Zero Tolerance for Maternal Mortality policy” initiated in that year.

The hospital in 2012 registered 2,146 ante natal clinic attendance and had 1518 deliveries; in 2013, it registered 2115 ante natal attendance with 1480 deliveries; 2014 recorded 2115 attendances with 1,708 deliveries; while the mid-year of 2015 saw 1023 attendance with 1058 deliveries.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, Dr Kennedy Brightson, the Medical Superintendent of the facility, attributed the success to the hard working and committed team of health personnel of the hospital, in addition to the strict implementation of a policy of Zero Tolerance for Maternal Deaths.

He explained that upon assumption of duty in 2010 to the facility, he noticed that the scientific protocols, which served as a guide to follow during emergencies were very complex for their understanding

“So I decided to break the language down to very simple English Language and redesigned them into very colourful charts to attract their attention”.

The emergency protocols on pregnancies code-named: ‘Salvation Board’, which are on pre-term labour, severe pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, post-partum and antepartum haemorrhage, offers guidelines, which inform staff on what to do when a case is presented to them at the hospital.

Dr Brightson explained that the staff of the hospital had for the past four years, relied on the ‘Salvation Board,’ and this, he said, had helped to save the lives of women during labour.

Dr Brightson also attributed the hospital’s flourishing maternity and labour practice to an “incredible team” who had supported to carve out a tiny maternity and neonatal unit from one end of the corridor of the main hospital.

“None of my theater nurses and myself, live in Dodowa or have cars so when there’s an emergency and I’m called in, I also call them up and they get out of their beds and onto the road, no matter what time it is just to save a life,” Dr Brightson explained.

Shai-Osudoku District Hospital was established in 1970 as a health post by the people of Shai and handed over to the Ministry of Health.

The facility advanced from a Health Centre in 1985 and finally to a district hospital in the mid-year of 2009. It is in the Shai-Osudoku District capital of Dodowa, situated in the South-eastern part of Ghana.

With 52 beds, all in good conditions, the hospital has six wards, and one operating theatre.

It provides other services such as Hypertension Clinic, Diabetic Clinic, Ultrasound Care, ENT Care, Dental Clinic, ART Clinic, Family Planning, Community Psychiatry, Eye Clinic, Theatre, Maternity and ante natal Clinic.

With a staff strength of 208, nine doctors, three Physician’s Assistants, two pharmacists, 13 midwives, 87 General Nurses, five Public Health Nurses, 11 Community Health Nurses, four Psychiatric nurses and five health aids, health care services are offered to the people in Shai-Osudoku, and its environs stretching to Ashalley Botwe, Adjirigano and Nmai Dzor.

Outlining that some of the activities put in to ensure the success of the “Zero Tolerance for Maternal Mortality,” Dr Brisghtson mentioned the use of community health nurses to embark on massive education and sensitisation in all the communities and villages on the need to seek medical care whenever they were pregnant.

The nurses also educate pregnant women on the need to deliver in a medical facility and also disabuse their minds of myths, traditional and religious beliefs that discourage pregnant women from visiting health facilities when in serious conditions.

“I have personally led several campaigns in and around Dodowa to educate the women on the importance of maternal health and the importance of visiting the hospital when pregnant,” he added.

To further boost its work, the hospital has a blood bank, a fridge to store blood, and an incubator and other facilities to take care of pre-term babies.

He said the hospital had also instituted ‘a pregnancy school’ for pregnant women, their husbands and potential mothers, where tutorials were given to them on pregnancy.

Despite the success, Dr Brightson said the hospital faced challenges of human resource and called for more midwives, critical care nurses, paediatric nurses, and peri-operative nurses.

He complained about the chronic delays in NHIS re-reimbursement; lack of transport and frequent power outages, which were damaging hospital equipment causing huge financial implications.

Dr Brightson expressed joy that a new 120 -bed capacity facility was nearing completion to replace the overstretched facility.