Alive and Thrive

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Overview

The maternal mortality rate of Ghana is currently 310 deaths per 100,000 live births, much higher than that of the US (26.4 deaths per 100,000 live births). While most women (97%) in the Eastern Region of Ghana attend ANC visits with a skilled provider and a majority (77%) give birth in a health facility, many are still dying due to direct maternal causes (including hemorrhage, unsafe abortion, and other obstetric complications), logistical, and financial issues.

Currently, patients are traveling from up to ten kilometers away by car, bus or foot, none of which are consistently reliable. If the patient arrives at the community health centre and a complication arises, then the patient must arrange for travel to get to the District Hospital, which is another hour away. The majority of the expectant mothers of the community do not have any emergency plan in place, if they were to need assistance or transportation. The clinical staff of the Akyem Dwenase Health Centre are also not trained to provide basic emergency obstetric and neonatal care (BEmONC), so they are unable to address complications.

Finally, the existing infrastructure of the health centre is insufficient for the needs of the community. The maternity ward is the size of a small office, and if more than two mothers are in labor at the same time, then one mother and her newborn must be moved to the floor. There is also inadequate equipment and medical supplies for the health centre to provide BEmONC.

Context

Chief Osabarima Owusu Baafi Aboagye III, a newly appointed chief of the village Akyem Dwenase, located in the Eastern Region of Ghana was the partner for this project. Not only is Chief Osabarima Owusu Baafi Aboagye III the leader of this community, but he is also a lawyer and professor of urban planning at Boston University. One of his first priorities in his new role is to improve the maternal and neonatal health outcomes of Akyem Dwenase by addressing the needs of the local health facility, the Akyem Dwenase Health Centre.

Challenge

Being able to communicate with the health centre staff was critical to the success of this proposal. Throughout the development of the proposal 4G technology in eastern Ghana gave the team the rare opportunity to communicate frequently with the health center staff over WhatsApp. The team was able to listen carefully to the perspective of the health centre workers and learn from them about the true needs of the community. Throughout the duration of this project, the team conducted video calls with many of the health centre staff to understand their needs and priorities.

Solution

The ultimate goal of the program is to provide all women and child in the greater Akyem Dwenase community access to quality obstetric and neonatal health care. Based on input from Chief Kwabena and the staff of the Akyem Dwenase Health Centre, the team designed a program and created a proposal to improve transportation and emergency planning, staff training and the infrastructure of the health centre.

Results

By increasing health centre staff knowledge and skills, and ensuring that supplies and equipment are stocked, quality of care and patient experience will be drastically improved. Health Centre Staff will be trained in BEmONC and will be able to address most pregnancy complications at the health centre, without having to refer women to the district hospital, over an hour away. The staff will also develop strategies to mitigate supply chain issues and ensure that necessary medicines are in stock.

Lastly, by expanding the maternity ward, there will be enough space and privacy to meet the needs of women in the Akyem Dwenase community. The expanded maternity ward will have necessary equipment for the Health Center staff to be able to provide BEmONC and ensure that new mothers have the space and time necessary to rest after deliveries.

In the long term,  these interventions will contribute to a decrease in maternal and neonatal mortalities and morbidities in rural Ghana.

Project Timeline

This project took four months to complete from kick-off meeting to presentation of final deliverables. Click the button below for a detailed timeline.

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