Women to access free family planning services
The government is to incorporate family planning services for mothers into the free maternal care under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the country.
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The programme is to be run in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The Minister of Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey, announced this at the launch of the Dissemination of the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction in Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) Accountability Report and the Maternal and New Born Health Week Celebration in Accra.
President John Dramani Mahama, who performed the launch, pledged his commitment to allocate more resources to build more health care centres and train more midwives to ensure the delivery of timely and efficient health care to pregnant women.
CARMMA
The CARMMA is an African Union initiative to promote and advocate renewed and intensified implementation of the Maputo Plan of Action for the Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa.
The CARMMA accountability report, titled "Rising to Meet the Challenge of Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Ghana," captures the achievable commitments from 10 regions and 175 districts in the country to reduce maternal mortality.
The launch was attended by regional ministers, health professionals and representatives of civil society organisations. It was held on the theme: "No Woman Should Die Giving Life: The Role of Local Authorities."
Healthcare
Ms Ayittey said the addition of family planning to the free maternal care was to provide improved family planning services for mothers.
"It is to make sure that every woman has access to a family planning facility," she added.
CHPS Compound
The minister said the government, in collaboration with donor partners, would put up 2,000 Community Health Programme and Service (CHPS) compounds by the end of 2014.
Besides, she said, more midwives and nurses would be trained and attached to the CHPS compounds to provide efficient health care for mothers.
Consequently, she said, all the regions would be divided into zones to guide the supply of the midwives and nurses.
She noted that the failure of many women to seek antenatal care and qualified care during delivery was the main cause of maternal mortality and added that the government would collaborate with civil society organisations and drama groups to educate women on the need to seek early care.
Ms Ayittey said the government would intensify the national ambulance service to give instant emergency healthcare services to mothers.
Maternal mortality
Ms Ayittey said although the rate of materiality mortality had reduced over the years, "the figures are still not desirable."
She added that maternal mortality was not an issue for the family or women alone but it was a developmental issue, which required the support of all.
She, therefore, asked local authorities to agree to bear some costs in the operations of healthcare providers in their respective areas.
