[ 2014-08-31 ]

Queen mothers promote safe motherhood and child health
Asesewa (E/R), Aug. 30, GNA - Queen mothers in
Upper-Manya Krobo District have initiated a
programme to educate pregnant women on the need to
attend ante-natal clinic and the importance of
breastfeeding to help reduce maternal mortality
and improve child health in the area.
The Queen mothers engaged pregnant women in their
catchment areas and educated them to augment the
role of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), which also
use similar approaches to encourage ante-natal
attendance and institutional delivery.

It would be recalled that The Ghana News Agency
(GNA) Media Auditing and Tracking of Development
Project team being sponsored by STAR -Ghana
published an article about the low attendance of
ante-natal clinics by pregnant women in the area
due to myths and stereotypes some few months ago.

Some of the myths were that, women who delivered
at health facilities were not strong and attending
ante-natal clinics exposes a pregnant woman to
spiritual attacks.

As such, most of the pregnant women in the area
attended prayer camps and herbal centres for their
maternal care needs.

Following the publication, some Queen mothers in
the area decided to step up their role by engaging
pregnant women to demystify the age-long myths and
stereotypes to improve maternal health in the
area.

Manye Adwo Gladys, one of the Queen mothers in
Asesewa told the GNA that, with their traditional
background, pregnant women in the area have
confidence in them and therefore listens to them.

Maku Tetteh, a beneficiary of the Queen mothers
programme in an interview with GNA, said, she has
three children and the first two were delivered at
home with several complications but with the third
one, she heeded the advice from the Queen mothers
and attended ante-natal clinic and delivered at
the health facility.

She said the problems she encountered during her
previous pregnancies, which she was told were
spiritual, were identified and managed at the
clinic and she delivered safely without the usual
complications.

Miss Maku said she also breastfed the last baby
extensively because of the advice from both the
clinic and the Queen mothers and her baby is
healthier, compared to the other two, who were
given water and porridge at very early stages.

Source - GNA

... go Back