Health experts, including pediatrician Anita Agyapong from the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua, are alarmed by growing issue of pregnant women arriving at maternity and labor wards unprepared for labor.
Agyapong expressed her worry, stating that many mothers in labor arrive without essential items , leaving them stranded and helpless but for intervention of staff.
“Some come to deliver without preparation. They come without baby essentials, no diaper, absolutely nothing, so it takes the intervention of midwives and other staff at the ward to contribute to provide these essentials to them,” says Anita Agyapong.
Out of 20 babies delivered at the Regional Hospital on Christmas Day, eight were preterm babies.
Agyapong highlights a major problem in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that is mothers unable to pay their medical bills, even after being discharged.
“Here in NICU, our major problem is the inability of mothers to pay their medical bills. Some have been discharged two months, one month, and they are still here unable to pay their medical bills,” notes Agyapong.
Meanwhile,as part of the MTN Yellow Care initiative, the Eastern Regional branch of MTN Ghana donated 25 hampers to mothers and babies born on Christmas Day at the Eastern Regional Hospital and SDA Hospital in Koforidua.
Gyan Ransford, the Area Sales Manager for Eastern, Volta, and Oti regions, outlined the broader vision of the initiative, emphasizing its success over 12 years in covering all 16 regions in Ghana.
“This year, we are giving 500 hampers across the whole country, and in Koforidua, we are giving 25 hampers. We do this to welcome these new babies into our bigger family and to put smiles on the faces of their parents,” says Gyan Ransford.
Looking ahead to 2024, Gyan Ransford states that MTN is focused on strengthening its digital agenda.
He encourages all MTN customers to leverage digital platforms such as Ayoba, Mobile Money App, and My MTN App for easier and smarter daily business transactions.
Angelina Owusua Asante, Midwife in Charge of SDA Hospital Labour Ward, extends gratitude to MTN Ghana for their kind gesture.
However, she calls on individuals, corporate organizations, philanthropists, and the government to come to the aid of individuals at maternity wards struggling to cover accrued bills due to a lack of funding.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Kojo Ansah
