The Deputy Minister for Health, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has embarked on a working tour of the Northern Region, rolling out a series of interventions aimed at reducing maternal mortality, strengthening emergency healthcare delivery and improving governance in health training institutions.
The tour forms part of the government’s broader efforts under the Maternal Mortality Action and Response Programme (MMARP), an initiative designed to reduce preventable maternal deaths through closer collaboration among health authorities, traditional leaders and local communities.
On the second day of the tour, Dr. Ayensu-Danquah visited Adibo and Gbungbaliga in the Yendi Municipality, where she engaged traditional authorities, health professionals and community members to identify challenges affecting maternal and child healthcare.
As part of the visit, the Deputy Minister paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Gbungbaliga Traditional Area, Naa Bapri Gbungbal-Naa Abdallah Abudu Sulemana, where discussions centred on strengthening collaboration between government and traditional authorities in addressing maternal health challenges.
She also inspected the Adibo Health Centre, the Gbungbaliga Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compound and the Yendi Municipal Hospital to assess healthcare delivery and interact with frontline health workers.
Addressing residents and community elders, Dr. Ayensu-Danquah reaffirmed government’s commitment to improving maternal and child healthcare, particularly in underserved communities.
She announced that under the government’s Free Primary Health Care Initiative, community health workers equipped with mobile health backpacks would regularly visit households to provide essential maternal and child healthcare services, including health education, antenatal and postnatal support and early identification of pregnancy-related complications.
According to her, the initiative is intended to bridge the gap in healthcare access for women living in remote communities, where distance and transportation continue to hinder timely access to skilled healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth.
The Deputy Minister also encouraged families to adopt healthy eating habits by consuming nutritious foods produced locally, noting that proper nutrition remains a key factor in improving maternal and child health outcomes.
During the engagement, community leaders highlighted a number of challenges confronting healthcare delivery, including inadequate health personnel, limited infrastructure and logistical constraints.
The Paramount Chief of the Gbungbaliga Traditional Area commended Dr. Ayensu-Danquah for engaging directly with traditional leaders and residents, describing the visit as a demonstration of government’s commitment to addressing the health needs of rural communities.
He, however, appealed to government to deploy additional healthcare workers, expand existing health facilities, provide staff accommodation, improve transportation for outreach services, ensure regular supply of essential medicines and install reliable backup power systems at the Adibo Health Centre and the Gbungbaliga CHPS Compound.
Beyond maternal healthcare, Dr. Ayensu-Danquah extended her tour to the Nurses’ and Midwives’ Training College (NMTC) in Tamale, where she attended the matriculation ceremony for the maiden batch of students admitted into the institution’s newly introduced Bachelor of Science in Emergency Nursing Programme.
The 49 students constitute the first cohort of what the college described as a pioneering programme aimed at producing highly skilled emergency nursing professionals to strengthen Ghana’s emergency healthcare system.
Addressing the matriculants, the Deputy Minister reminded them of the critical responsibility they would shoulder in responding to medical emergencies across the country.
“Your clients are waiting for you at the door of every emergency room in this country,” she told the students, urging them to embrace discipline, professionalism, technical competence and compassion throughout their training.
She described the programme as a significant milestone under the government’s Reset Agenda and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as Mahama Cares, which seeks to strengthen the country’s healthcare system through specialised training, improved infrastructure and enhanced healthcare services.
Dr. Ayensu-Danquah encouraged the students to uphold the highest ethical standards, stressing that emergency nursing demands sound clinical judgment, quick decision-making and empathy in delivering life-saving care.
The Principal of the Nurses’ and Midwives’ Training College, Tamale, Dr. Abdulai Abdul-Malik, welcomed the pioneer students and urged them to pursue academic excellence while developing the practical competencies and integrity required of emergency nursing professionals.
As part of her engagements in the Northern Region, the Deputy Minister also participated in an orientation programme for Advisory Board members of health training institutions.
The programme, organised by the Ministry of Health under the theme, “Effective Governance, Role Clarity and Collaboration between Management and Advisory Boards of Health Training Institutions,” is aimed at strengthening institutional leadership, promoting effective governance and enhancing the quality of health training across the country.
Source: www.kumasimail.com /Edmond Gyebi
