Ghana’s institutional maternal mortality ratio increased from 109.2 per 100,000 live births in 2020 to 119.5 per 100,000 live births in 2021 representing 9.4 per cent. Pregnant women and their children mostly die from complications such as placenta abruption, postpartum bleeding, and preeclampsia among others.
To improve access to medical care and reduce maternal and perinatal deaths in Ashaiman, the Rotary Club of Accra-Legon in partnership with 10 Rotary Clubs in Germany, Spain and Italy and the University of Applied Sciences Wuerzburg-Schweinfurt, Germany, have presented two fully furnished ambulances valued at US$116,000, and control centre to Prinel Medical Centre.
“Ashaiman is one of the densely populated suburbs of Accra and access to quality healthcare for residents remains a challenge,” said Yvette Emefa Kuwornu, President of the Rotary Club of Accra-Legon. “Mother and child deaths which are mostly avoidable occur in the area due to inadequate emergency response systems including ambulances to transport patients to bigger or specialist hospitals on time.”
In response to the challenge, Rotary members from Bad Driburg in Germany spearheaded a partnership with members of Accra-Legon and 9 other Rotary Clubs – Werl, Zeewolde, Hoexter, Warburg, Harrow, Mantes-La-Jolie, Palma Almudaina, Saronno and Vilvoorde to support the Ashaiman community through the provision of two ambulances. The Club also sent technical specialists to set up the ambulance control centre and train local technical specialists to man the centre.
“These ambulances together with the tracking systems at the control centre will help to deliver quality emergency response services within the community,” said Dr. Prince Puplampu, Chief Executive Officer of the Prinel Medical Centre. “From our control centre, we are able to determine callers’ location and fastest route to reach them, and the state-of-the-art medical equipment installed in the ambulance enables effective first aid in transit.”
Rotary members throughout the world take action to make communities better. They contribute their time, energy, and passion to carry out meaningful and sustainable projects that promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, help mothers and children, support education, grow local economies and protect the environment.
Rotary’s top priority is the global eradication of polio. Rotary launched its polio immunization program, PolioPlus, in 1985 and in 1988 became a leading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
