By Godfred A. Polkuu
Bolgatanga, Nov. 29, GNA-The Talensi District Hospital (TDH) at Tongo in the Upper East Region, has won the maiden regional prematurity quiz competition in Bolgatanga to mark this year’s World Prematurity Day (WPD) celebration.
The WPD is marked annually on November 17, to raise awareness on infants born prematurely and the difficulties they faced.
This year’s celebration was on the theme: “Over 13 million babies born prematurely every year. Access to quality care everywhere”.
As part of activities to mark the WPD celebration, the Newborn Care Division of the Region, organized the maiden quiz competition between four hospitals, namely; Bongo and Talensi District hospitals, the War Memorial hospital and the regional hospital in Bolgatanga.
The TDH, represented by Ms Nafisah Osman and Mr Prosper Akoviah, both staff of the Newborn Care Unit of the hospital, beat their close contender; the regional hospital, with 48.5 points after they answered a bonus question which broke a tie between them.
Ms Susana Pinto and Ms Priscilla Asampana, representatives of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Regional hospital came second with 47.5 points, while the War Memorial and Bongo District hospitals got 42 and 35 points respectively.
Mr Stephen Atindana Abane, a Lead Organizer of the programme, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview after the competition, that even though the WPD was marked on November 17, the entire month was used to create awareness on prematurity.
He said staff of the various Newborn Care Units across the Region used the month to sensitize members of the public on the causes, prevention and the care of preterm deliveries to reduce the incidence of prematurity and improve their care.
He said the quiz was for nurses and midwives who worked at the various Newborn Care Units in the respective hospitals in the Region and noted that the aim was to remind themselves as healthcare professionals of the problems of the preterm baby and how to care for them.
He said there were current trends of nursing care based on research, and that the quiz was intended to remind them of the current trends and ensure that they were not knowledge deficient in the care of the newborn.
Mr Abane said data from hospitals in the Region with Newborn Care Units indicated an increasing trend in preterm deliveries, adding that there was no clear data for the Region on preterm deliveries.
He explained that “Some preterm babies are born at home, and they don’t bring them to the hospital. They either die and are buried, or they survive, and are not counted. Others are delivered to the hospital and survive without going through the NICU.
“So, we do not have access to that data and, therefore, cannot paint a clearer picture of the situation in the Region, but generally, per what we have in the Newborn Care Units, prematurity is on the ascendency in the Region,” he said.
Alhaji Awal Ahmed Kariama, the Executive Director of the Rural Initiative for Self- Empowerment Ghana (RISE-Ghana), said preterm delivery was one of the leading causes of deaths among babies in Ghana and globally.
According to him, health professionals at Antenatal Clinics do not prepare the minds of expectant mothers towards the possibility of premature delivery, and that once their minds were not prepared for such eventuality, mothers did not receive the needed support from the community level.
He said there were no systems at the community level to address issues of prematurity, noting that “One of the biggest problems is the stigma. Once the stigma is there, the women are not able to get the support for these babies that are so special”.
Alhaji Kariama called for more education at the community level to sensitize members of the community to know that preterm delivery was not a curse.
Mr Bernard Anankor, the Regional Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, commended staff of the Newborn Care Units across health facilities in the Region and encouraged them to continue to put in their best to support preterm babies to survive.
GNA