St John Ambulance launches programme to improve maternal, newborn health

Ambulance service provider, the St John Ambulance Ghana, has launched a mother and baby programme, a community-based maternal and newborn health initiative to strengthen community participation in health care and to contribute to efforts to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths in the country.

The initiative, launched in Accra on the theme: “Healthy mothers, healthy babies, sttronger communities: Advancing free primary health care through mother and baby care”, brought together representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the Ashiedu Keteke Municipal Assembly, the Ussher Fort Hospital, the Accra Metropolitan Health Directorate, traditional and community leaders, and volunteers of St John Ambulance Ghana and other stakeholders.

Dr Apedzi said the programme would leverage St John’s community health volunteers to provide maternal and newborn health education, promote behaviour change and educate families on referral systems, enabling them to make informed health decisions and access skilled care at the appropriate time.