Scale up efforts to protect pregnant women against malaria – Mrs Akufo-Addo

Mrs Akufo-Addo

The First Lady, Mrs Re­becca Akufo-Addo, has appealed to international advocates and stakeholders to scale up efforts to protect pregnant women and their un­born babies from the effects of malaria during pregnancy.

She made the call at an event organised by Devey at the Neuehouse Madison Square in New York during the 78th United Nations General Assembly.

It was held under the theme “Protecting pregnant women against malaria: speeding up uptake to Inter­mittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria for Pregnant Women (IPTp) in affected African countries.”

“Our pregnant women must receive Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) once a month or at least three times, during pregnancy. We must also ensure that they sleep under treated bed net in addition to effective case management of malaria when necessary,” Mrs Akufo-Addo said.

She said the IPT could help save lives of pregnant women and their unborn children, but there should be sulfadoxine/ pyrimethamine (SP) readily available at health facilities, adding that, “we must ensure an efficient and expanded supply chain system for SP distribution and access.

“We will continue to educate, create awareness, conduct medical outreaches, provide insecticide treated nets, and construct more pri­mary health facilities known in Ghana as CHPS compounds.”

She called on stakeholders to join in the work of up-scal­ing the use of ‘Intermittent Preventive Treatment’ to protect pregnant women and their unborn children from the devastating effects of malaria in pregnancy

 By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu