Ensuring every mother and child survive and thrive, responsibility for all

Ending preventable maternal death is an urgent global health challenge, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maternal health refers to the well-being of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period.

Maternal, child health, and nutrition interventions aim at improving access to community-based maternal, child health, and nutrition services to accelerate progress.

Healthy mothers are more likely to have healthy children and access to information, medical assistance, and having their opinions heard are important steps towards reducing maternal and child mortality.

It is evident that children, newborns, and mothers have a greater chance of surviving today than they did just two decades ago. That notwithstanding, poor nutrition, diseases and pregnancy, and child-related complications claim the lives of millions of children and mothers every year.

Estimates by the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, (UNICEF) shows that In 2019 alone, 5.2 million children under age five died, almost half of these children died in the first month of life. What's more, an estimated 810 women die every day from causes related to pregnancy or childbirth.

This simply means that surviving pregnancy and childbirth can never be the marker of successful maternal health care but with the inclusion of exclusive breastfeeding, and the provision of nutritious food for the child.

The Family Health Division of the Ghana Health Service, (GHS) will in it bid to improve maternal, child health, and nutrition interventions in Ghana organize a third national Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN)
Conference, on August 11 to August 13 in Accra.

The conference in adherence to the COVID-19 protocols would be held as a “hybrid” thereby, making participation both in person for selected participants and virtual (Zoom or Webex) for a large number of other participants from all the 16 regions and the national level.

The general public can also join in through Facebook live on Ghana Health Service.

This year's conference is themed; "Sustaining RMNCAH Nutrition Service Delivery and Resilient Health Systems in Health Emergencies and Beyond", seeks to ensure that all stakeholders, factor service delivery in humanitarian emergencies into their medium to long term plans.

Dr Edward Antwi, the Head of Programme, Child Health, and Newborn at the Ghana Health Service, in an interview, said the conference would bring together health experts to review progress made over the years.

"Maternal death is a composite outcome that depends on several interventions, most of which are out of the domain of the health sector," he said.

Dr Antwi stated that research conducted has shown a steady decline in the total number of maternal deaths from 875 in 2018 to 838 in 2019, to 776 in 2020 despite the increase in total deliveries whilst institutional maternal mortality ratio has reduced from 117 in 2019 to 106 in 2020.

Whereas many regions stagnated or have increased in maternal mortality, Ashanti region made a significant reduction of 35 per cent of the 2019 deaths, which is likely to have influenced the national figures.

He said the conference, would, thus, develop sustainable partnerships and resource mobilization strategies, as well as invest in early warning systems to guide in strengthening health system resilience at all times.

The conference would build on the agenda of sustaining health service delivery in the midst of the Covid -19 pandemic while showcasing the strategies and activities carried out to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

It also aims to build on synergies, identify gaps not only in service delivery but critically also in partnerships for the future in maternal, child, health, adolescent health, and nutrition services in the country.

The MCHN Conference would largely be within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and will focus on issues within the implementation framework of the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health, and Nutrition Strategic Plan (RMNCAH & N strategic Plan 2020-2025).

This includes gaps in wellbeing, worsening nutrition and non-communicable disease situation, challenges with adolescent pregnancies, gaps in nurturing care, and an ageing population without adequate access to health services.

The above mentioned fall in line with actions to bridge the inequity gaps in access towards the achievement of universal health targets and ultimately contributing to reaching the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the National Health Policy.

The conference, will, thus, provide a platform for all stakeholders to discuss linkages with other aspects of the health system to devise strategies for improved health system outcomes.

The conference activities will involve a series of presentations and discussions that will be grouped under broad sub-themes, there would be a number of technical sessions under the specific thematic areas during plenary alongside a series of symposia organized in concurrent sessions.

Dr Antwi advised expectant mothers to take their antenatal and postnatal visits seriously and also urged the public to continue to adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols.

There would be poster presentations by the GHS and partners to show researches that have been done in Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition over the years.

The conference would bring together health care professionals, policymakers, service providers in health, education and gender, representatives from academia and bilateral and multilateral development partners.

Others would include representatives of traditional groups, faith-based organization, civil society, private sector players, and media practitioners.