Story: Emmanuel Modey, Hohoe
THE first batch of trainees of the diploma in midwifery programme was matriculated at the Hohoe Midwifery Training School last Thursday.
The three-year programme comes to replace the hitherto programme where practising nurses go to the school to do a two-and-a-half year course to become midwives.
The 50 students, all females, were recruited from second-cycle institutions throughout the country.
Delivering the keynote address, Major Courage Quashiga (retd), the Minister of Health, said hitherto midwives were aged, having worked for several years as nurses.
He was sure that with this new system, the midwives would be younger and more active in the service to their clients.
The minister regretted that medical practitioners did not spread their knowledge to their clients to live healthy lives.
For instance, midwives should educate pregnant women to exercise and on how to live and what to eat to ensure health delivery.
Major Quashiga expressed grave concern about the high maternal mortality rate, citing severe bleeding as a major cause.
This, he said, constituted 25 per cent of deaths, and according to UNICEF survey in 2000, 540 deaths were recorded out of every 1000 maternal cases.
He noted that the direct entry was introduced to send more youth to the present health care centres throughout the country.
The minister hoped that after their training, they would make a difference in modern health care delivery.
On general health, he emphasised that regular exercises, eating of fruits and vegetables and avoiding too much alcoholic beverages should be their focus.
The matriculation oath was administered by the Deputy Registrar of the Nurses and Midwives Council of Ghana, Mr Felix Nyantey.
He was of the view that the programme had been reviewed to suit the current needs and protect safe motherhood.
Mr Nyantey asked them to take the course seriously, since it afforded them the opportunity for further education.
The Principal of the school, Mrs Augusta Dumelo, whilst welcoming the new programme, said there was an urgent need to expand some of their facilities.
She said they needed two big 100-seater classrooms, a computer laboratory, a big library, a bigger skills laboratory, a hostel and staff accommodation.
She noted that the school, established in 1977 with 15 students, had so far trained 1,155 students.
Mrs Dumelo appealed to the Ministry of Health to attach an obstetrician/gynaecologist to the Hohoe District Hospital to offer them specialised training.
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