Gender
Pregnant women advised not to shy away from referrals
Mr Freda Alowri, a Senior Midwifery Officer (SMO) at the Zorko Health Centre in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region, has admonished expectant mothers to promptly adhere to referral orders from lower to higher health facilities to prevent complications.
She said referrals, especially from health facilities in rural areas made to higher facilities for further management, should be taken seriously without delays especially in pregnant women since that could result in complications and possible deaths.
“Pregnant women in rural areas are usually reluctant to go on referrals to higher facilities and if there is an issue those of us in the deprived communities cannot handle.”
“It is not all the cases that those of us in derived areas can handle, and so if we detect such cases and refer, they should not delay, but go immediately,” she said.
Ms Alowri, who has decades of work experience in the rural community, gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after she was awarded the 2024 Best Midwife by the District Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
The Directorate at its 2024 annual health performance review meeting held in Bolgatanga, recognised Ms Alowri’s “Outstanding skills and expertise in the domain of maternal and neonatal care”.
The Directorate said her commitment to delivering high-quality care, mentorship and adherence to best practices had profoundly influenced maternal health in the district.
The midwife advised women in rural areas to immediately visit the nearest health facility if they missed their menstrual cycle and suspected pregnancy.
She said early Ante-Natal Care services in the first trimester of pregnancy was the surest way for safe delivery and insisted that “Pregnant women should try to visit the nearest health facility early for good maternal services.”
For midwives who refused postings to rural areas to work, Ms Alowri said there was much experience to gain at health facilities in rural areas, and urged midwives, especially junior staff to accept postings to any part of the district where their services were needed, and work diligently to uplift the image of the GHS.
Ms Estella Abazesi, the District Director of the GHS, who presented the award to the midwife, told the GNA that staff motivation was important to the directorate as a means to urge them to deliver their best.
She said staff nominated among themselves, those they thought deserved awards, and management also considered key performance indicators of the various facilities for the awards.
“The indicators carried 70 per cent performance and 30 per cent for the nomination. That was what we did for both individual and for the facility level,” she said, and encouraged her staff to continue to work hard to improve service delivery.
The directorate, apart from Ms Alowri, recognised and honoured nine other staff under various categories namely: Mr Mohammed Abu, Mr Michael Awia Achuliwor, Madam Cynthia Lariba Apemjobey, Mr Maxwell Kamah Alagnona, Mr David Adongo, Madam Gloria Wulug, Madam Rihanna Akugre Awudu and Madam Agnes Aloyine Atibila.
Three Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds; the Beo Tankoo CHPS, Kadare and Nayorigo CHPS together with the Namoo, Soe, Valley and Zorko sub-district zones were awarded.
The GHS also honoured WaterAid Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, for its contributions to healthcare delivery in the district. -GNA
Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, a Deputy Chief of Staff, has called for sustained legal and institutional reforms to address gender biases within Ghana’s justice system.
She urged women lawyers to build on the legacy of trailblazers who have shaped the country’s legal landscape.
Madam Bampoe Addo made the call at the maiden Biennial Conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) Women’s Forum, organised in collaboration with the Ghana School of Law in Accra on Tuesday.
The event was on the theme: “The role of women lawyers in national development: honouring trailblazers.”
Madam Bampoe Addo said the progress made by women in the legal profession was not accidental but the result of years of struggle, sacrifice and determination.
She paid tribute to early trailblazers such as Matilda Foster and Annie Jiagge, saying their achievements broke barriers and opened doors for generations of women lawyers.
She commended the contributions of female judicial leaders, including Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, Mrs Sophia Akuffo, and Mrs Gertrude Torkornoo, whose leadership reflected the growing influence of women in Ghana’s judiciary.
Women lawyers had made significant contributions across multiple sectors, including the courtroom, academia, policy development, civil society advocacy and community engagement.
Madam Bampoe Addo noted that their efforts had advanced gender equality, strengthened institutions and improved access to justice in the country.
She expressed concern about the persistent gender biases within the justice system, particularly in some judicial pronouncements that could undermine the dignity of women.
The courts, she noted, must not only deliver justice but must also communicate it in a manner that upheld respect and fairness for all parties.
“There is undervaluation of women’s unpaid domestic labour, including caregiving responsibilities, which are often overlooked in legal determinations, especially in matrimonial cases,” she added.
She called for a more progressive and context-sensitive approach to adjudication, drawing on comparative jurisprudence from other jurisdictions to ensure fairness and equity.
Madam Bampoe Addo urged legal practitioners and judges to build on progressive legal precedents and ensure that Ghana’s legal system evolved to reflect contemporary social realities.
She emphasised the importance of mentorship and inclusivity, encouraging women in leadership to create opportunities for others and support the next generation of female lawyers.
She called on young women to pursue legal careers with confidence, adding that the profession offered vast opportunities to contribute to national development.
Commissioner of Police (COP) Lydia Donkor, the Director-General of CID, said women lawyers played indispensable roles in shaping Ghana’s legal and governance systems.
They had excelled in various fields and occupied key leadership positions, contributing to policy reforms and championing justice for vulnerable groups, she added.
COP Donkor paid tribute to trailblazing women lawyers whose achievements continued to inspire and motivate younger generations to strive for excellence.
She urged students and young practitioners to go beyond academic successes and embrace the broader mission of promoting justice, fairness and societal transformation.
She encouraged more women lawyers to consider careers in the Ghana Police Service, describing law enforcement as a critical area where legal expertise was needed to strengthen justice delivery.
She commended the organisers of the conference for the success, saying it would encourage the next generation of women lawyers to continue to make significant contributions to Ghana’s development. – GNA
The Dzidula Pink Foundation has engaged expectant mothers on cervical cancer at a recent pregnancy clinic held at St Gregory Hospital, Budumburam in the Awutu Senya East District.
The engagement formed part of its advocacy on early cancer detection to safeguard maternal health.
It also formed part of the foundation’s broader mission to raise awareness about cancers affecting women, particularly at a time when many may be least likely to consider screening especially pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Addressing a gathering of pregnant women at the clinic, the president of the foundation, Ms Fafa Gozo, highlighted a worrying trend where a significant number of women are diagnosed with cancer around the time of delivery.
This, she noted, often results from delayed screening and limited awareness about the importance of early detection.
She educated the women about the need to prioritise their health by undertaking timely cancer screening, even while navigating the demands of pregnancy.
She reiterated that early detection remains one of the most effective ways to improve treatment outcomes and reduce mortality.
“Pregnancy should not be a reason to delay screening. In fact, it is a critical period where heightened awareness can save lives,” Ms Gozo said.
The engagement also created a platform for open dialogue, allowing the expectant mothers to ask questions, share concerns, and receive guidance from health professionals present at the clinic.
Health experts at the facility echoed the foundation’s message, underscoring that routine checks and screenings, when done early, can lead to timely interventions and better health outcomes for both mother and child.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
