Maternal Health For Rural Communities

INVITATION TO SUPPORT SET UP: 'INTEGRATED MOBILE MATERNITY LABORATORY'

Thanks for making time to read this:

My name is Augustine Kwaku Bow, CEO of Parallel Integration and Health Militia. We are grateful you have decided to take a look at this Concept Note we have extracted from our Comprehensive Plan to help in the establishment of a 'Mobile -Outreach - Laboratory' for Rural Outreaches aim at improving Maternal health care delivery within the country. Contact: [email protected] or +233 242081764.

THE PROBLEM:

Rural healthcare delivery has not received adequate attention in many parts of the country. This situation has caught the attention of many stakeholders of different background resulting in appreciable concern in this field.

While different efforts have been made to improve healthcare delivery, we still have not achieved our goals connected to health. Infant and child mortality remains a battle, as does maternal mortality. In fact, circumstances for expecting mothers have been worsening.

While all settlements have their share of these unfortunate circumstances, the rural dwellers are the most affected.

Inadequate health facilities, long distances to health facilities, lack of effective and efficient transportation systems, inadequate health personnel and inability to afford the cost of health services are major factors constraining rural people from accessing health services.

The situation is no different when it comes to Laboratory services. In Ghana, laboratory services exist at most levels of health facilities, except smaller health centers or CHIP (Community Health Improvement) Compounds.

OUR EFFORTS AND VOLUNTEERING EXPERIENCE

Over the past 4 years, volunteers have embarked on medical outreaches and worked in a manner that left much to be desired. The lack of ideal logistics and inadequacy of some materials hampered service delivery. Some times we had to improvise. Thus, adopting a comprehensive methodology with adequate logistics / materials dispatched to the rural communities would facilitate the work of the Local Health Professionals and our medical volunteers.

WHAT WE SEEK TO TACKLE:

Our ambitious goal is to get rid of Maternal Mortality especially in the Rural Settings, by focusing on these three most important areas indicated below:

1. CONFRONTING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL CAUSES OF MATERNAL MORTALITY:

This is mostly due to Geographical, Economic, Social disadvantages and Cultural beliefs that hinder individual’s quest to access or seek health care during pregnancy and childbirth. These are also Community Risk Factors, and they independently result in the Three – Delays Model.

• Poverty
• Distance to facilities
• Lack of information
• Inadequate and poor quality services
• Cultural beliefs and practices

2. PREVENTING INDIRECT OBSTETRIC DEATHS

Every pregnant woman is considered to be ‘At-Risk’ of developing a complication.

There are series of medical activities to be undertaken with the aim of determining pre-existing medical conditions of women – before and during pregnancy, as well as after childbirth.

We therefore, look out for the under-listed Indirect Medical Risk Factors that contribute to Maternal Mortality, and which to some extent can also trigger Obstetric Complications, then we activate appropriate responses.

COMMON INDIRECT MEDICAL RISK FACTORS

Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Heart disease ,Kidney Disease, Cholesterol, Anemia, Malaria, Infections, Obesity ,Poor Nutrition, Illegal Drugs, Alcohol

OUR ACTIVITIES WOULD ALSO HAVE POSITIVE IMPACTS ON -

The Common Direct Causes/ Obstetric Complications of Maternal Mortality andMorbidity.

Below are some of the known life-threatening medical conditions that can lead to Maternal and Child Mortality, as well as Maternal Morbidity. Any of these may occur during pregnancy, labor or childbirth:

• Postpartum Hemorrhage
• Preeclampsia and Eclampsia
• Miscarriage
• Maternal Sepsis, and Postpartum sepsis / Puerperal sepsis
• Obstructed Labor or Labor Dystocia
• Preterm or Pre-mature birth

THE COST COVERS THE FOLLOWING:

1. Laboratory / Medical Van

2. Medical Supplies / Logistics

3. 'Inclusive Socio - Economic Support' and transportation to expecting mothers

4. Fixed Space for the Laboratory