Accra, Nov 8, GNA - The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) on Monday called on the Government and stakeholders to commit and rededicate themselves to the goal of improving maternal health. "We members of the Ghana Medical Association shall continue to commit ourselves to ensuring prompt response and improved maternal healthcare in Ghana," the GMA said in a six-point communiqu=E9 issued at the end of its 52nd Annual General Conference held in Koforidua. The one-week meeting was on the theme, "Maternal Healthcare in Ghana: Realities Beyond The Policies".

The communiqu=E9 asked all District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies to invest in at least one ambulance for each District to reduce the delays in seeking healthcare occasioned by transportation difficulties faced by women with obstetric emergencies. It asked the Ghana Blood Transfusion Service to speedily implement the approved National Blood Policy to address the pressing problem of death from heaemorrhage after childbirth. It also asked the government to pay all outstanding On-Call Duty Facilitation Allowance by November 30 this year, to forestall any industrial unrest.

Also, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission should as soon as possible engage the GMA to clear all the bottlenecks surrounding the impending implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure as regards doctors and the Health Sector generally. The communiqu=E9 further asked the Ministry of Health and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to negotiate and implement the conditions of service document which had been outstanding for many years. The communiqu=E9 said the meeting arrived at those conclusions after it had discussed the unacceptably high Maternal Mortality Rate of 451 deaths per 100,000 live births and the goal of reducing the rate of 700 deaths per 100,000 live births recorded in 2000 by 75 per cent in 2015.

It added that the death of a woman during childbirth was a complex interplay of factors including community-related values and beliefs, state of development such as road network and inadequate emergency obstetric care within the hospitals. On remuneration of members, the meeting said almost two years after the negotiation of the 10 per cent On-Call Duty Facilitation Allowance, the implementation was still not complete with the majority of members of the Association not receiving their allowances, adding that it was a situation with potential serious consequences to the health delivery system in the country.

The meeting also discussed the uncertainties surrounding the outstanding issues of Market Premium and Inducement which, according to the communiqu=E9, form an important component of the Single Spine Salary and the lack of conditions of service that would, among other things, address the health care needs of doctors. 8 Nov. 10