End preventable deaths of newborns and children
3.1
By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births
3.2
By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births
The joy that every expectant couple, family, or community has when a woman gets pregnant is suddenly turned into sorrow and mourning when the woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth, or when the baby dies. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the five major causes of maternal mortality are haemorrhage, sepsis, complications of abortion, eclampsia, and obstructed labour.
In Ghana, an ultrasound scan is routine for all pregnant women but one major challenge is the lack of scan machines The few machines we have are only found in the district hospitals only and hence pregnant mothers are expected to travel from the villages to queue for the service. This stressful atmosphere has prevented most people from accessing the service. On 7th April 2019, World Merit Ghana with its medical team partnered with the Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Mr Annor Dompreh in a health outreach program which provided ultrasound services for pregnant women in their own environment and general health screening for others. The team thought it wise to target other people living in the community with other health screening areas since targeting only pregnant women would be too small a number to capture. The event was held in Nsawam in the Eastern region of Ghana.
World Merit Ghana with its medical team embarked on an outreach on 7th April at Nsawam. SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) was their focus. They offered free health screening exercises in ultrasonography. They took community members through free ultrasound scanning. They did liver screening, kidney, ovarian cyst, eye and BP. They also provided screening for pregnant women and took free scans for them. The event started at 9 am and ended at 5:30 pm.
More than 1,250 people were screened for prostate, fibroids, ovarian cyst, gynaecological issues, abdominal problems, liver, kidney, spleen, optical problems, and Sexual Transmitted Infections (STIs). Free scan services were provided for 180 pregnant women out of the 1,250 screened.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri Constituency, Mr Annor Dompreh applauded the gesture exhibited by the World Merit Ghana team to have organised such an impactful exercise out of their own will. He said the exercise would go a long way to improve the health conditions of those who were screened. He then called on other NGOs and benevolent organizations to assist and support the community in a similar fashion to improve upon their health facility in order to enable them to provide the needed health needs for the people.
The event ended with a number of youth within the community expressed interest to join the World Merit Ghana Team in our advocacy projects on the SDGs in other parts of the country to make a change. Communication with the Member of Parliament is far advanced to replicate the same event in other areas under his jurisdiction. Youth in the community have seen the need to volunteer in their own small ways to address issues that have engulfed them without necessarily waiting for a higher authority to have them fixed which sometimes never get fixed.
By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births
3.2
By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births
The joy that every expectant couple, family, or community has when a woman gets pregnant is suddenly turned into sorrow and mourning when the woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth, or when the baby dies. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the five major causes of maternal mortality are haemorrhage, sepsis, complications of abortion, eclampsia, and obstructed labour.
In Ghana, an ultrasound scan is routine for all pregnant women but one major challenge is the lack of scan machines The few machines we have are only found in the district hospitals only and hence pregnant mothers are expected to travel from the villages to queue for the service. This stressful atmosphere has prevented most people from accessing the service. On 7th April 2019, World Merit Ghana with its medical team partnered with the Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Mr Annor Dompreh in a health outreach program which provided ultrasound services for pregnant women in their own environment and general health screening for others. The team thought it wise to target other people living in the community with other health screening areas since targeting only pregnant women would be too small a number to capture. The event was held in Nsawam in the Eastern region of Ghana.
World Merit Ghana with its medical team embarked on an outreach on 7th April at Nsawam. SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) was their focus. They offered free health screening exercises in ultrasonography. They took community members through free ultrasound scanning. They did liver screening, kidney, ovarian cyst, eye and BP. They also provided screening for pregnant women and took free scans for them. The event started at 9 am and ended at 5:30 pm.
More than 1,250 people were screened for prostate, fibroids, ovarian cyst, gynaecological issues, abdominal problems, liver, kidney, spleen, optical problems, and Sexual Transmitted Infections (STIs). Free scan services were provided for 180 pregnant women out of the 1,250 screened.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri Constituency, Mr Annor Dompreh applauded the gesture exhibited by the World Merit Ghana team to have organised such an impactful exercise out of their own will. He said the exercise would go a long way to improve the health conditions of those who were screened. He then called on other NGOs and benevolent organizations to assist and support the community in a similar fashion to improve upon their health facility in order to enable them to provide the needed health needs for the people.
The event ended with a number of youth within the community expressed interest to join the World Merit Ghana Team in our advocacy projects on the SDGs in other parts of the country to make a change. Communication with the Member of Parliament is far advanced to replicate the same event in other areas under his jurisdiction. Youth in the community have seen the need to volunteer in their own small ways to address issues that have engulfed them without necessarily waiting for a higher authority to have them fixed which sometimes never get fixed.
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