The Jubilee Park in Kumasi was full of midwives and other women’s groups such as the Christian Mothers Association, Prison Ladies and Police Wives Association to mention just a few on Saturday 5 May 2018 to celebrate the hard works of midwives in Ghana.
In an address read on behalf of the First Lady, the Deputy Minister of Health, Ms. Tina Mensah said Ghanaian midwives must be seen to be fully involved in decision-making at international and national levels in order to bring to bear their innovative and transformational leadership which must impact on development of quality standards of care. She stressed that midwives are critical in the delivery of essential health services and are core in strengthening the health system. Acting both as individuals and as members and coordinators of inter-professional teams for the care of mothers and babies, midwives must bring people-centred care closer to the communities where they are needed most, thereby helping improve health outcomes and the overall cost-effectiveness of services. “Quality Midwifery care also means respect for human rights, including cultural rights, the right to life and choice and dignity’ she concluded for the First Lady.
Fourteen midwives from the ten administrative regions of Ghana and the four teaching hospitals were awarded by the Ministry of Health with support from the United Nations Population Fund. These awards were in appreciation of their dint of hard work and dedication to duties over the years.
Ms. Jessica Serwaa Boateng who obtained a Diploma in Midwifery in 2012 was adjudged the best midwife for the Ashanti Region in 2018 for the work done in 2017
Ms. Boateng currently works with the Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Kumasi, a Ghana Health Service facility as a staff midwife. Jessica taught her colleagues and made sure they innovatively used condom tamponade in arresting post-partum haemorrhage. This ardent approach improved significantly the management of post-partum haemorrhage at the facility. She was also meticulous in making sure mothers’ abdomens are always cleaned during the process of delivery and this has greatly contributed to the reduction of neonatal sepsis at the Maternal & Child Health Hospital in the Kumasi metropolis. Jessica is admired by both clients and colleagues for her hard work and dedication to mothers. She is the first to report to work and the last person to leave at any shift she is put on.
Jessica is always ready to take additional responsibilities beyond her normal working hours and always exhibit great deal of initiatives and professionalism in her duties.
“My own childbirth process is what motivates me to work hard and ensure that both mother and baby go home safe after delivery”. These were the words of Ms. Boateng who has a five-year-old daughter.
Mr. Niyi Ojuolape UNFPA Representative encouraged government to ensure equitable distribution of midwives across the country since human resources are a key component in achieving universal health coverage a path Ghana has embraced. He said, the 2017 Holistic Assessment report of the Ministry of Health reveals the unequitable distribution of health workers including midwives and pleaded for practical and innovative solutions to redress the skewed situation of the health workforce across the regions of Ghana.
