A three-year national project to help scale-up Ghana’s effort in achieving the Millennium Development Goal 4 and 5 will be launched at Kwatire  in the Sunyani West District of Brong-Ahafo in October this year.

The project will help to reduce the incidence of maternal mortality, child mortality and morbidity, dehydration and malnutrition as well as introduce antenatal care, post-natal care and Immunization services to rural communities who do not have access to health care centres.

The project dubbed: “Where There Is No Doctor” is the brainchild of Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), human rights and anti-corruption media advocacy organization working to improve the livelihood of rural communities in Ghana and across Africa.

The project, which aims at reducing maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity in Ghana, will also help increase awareness creation among the public at large, policy and decision-makers at the community and national levels of both the magnitude of the problem and the urgency for attainable solutions to maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity in Ghana.
 
The CEO of GLOMEF, Raphael Godlove Ahenu Jr. who disclosed this to newsmen in Sunyani said Ghana is not likely to achieve the MDG 4 and 5 which aim at reducing maternal and child mortality by 2015.

He said in order for Ghana to achieve the MDG 4 and 5, GLOMEF has devised seven broad strategies targeted at achieving the goal of reducing maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity Ghana.

The strategies he noted are Raising Awareness, Advocate for Policy Change, Build “Champions” for Safe Motherhood, Facilitate Local Solutions and Responses to Save Women’s Lives, Disseminate Lessons Learned and Best Practices, Compel Public Sector Accountability to the Fulfillment of Commitments and Investments, Strengthen the Organizational Capacity of Institutions and Mobile Van Clinic.

Under the , Build “Champions” for Safe Motherhood strategy, Mr. Ahenu Jr. said the project will identify, mentor, and encourage champions for safe motherhood.

Champions, according to him, will speak in GLOMEF’s name in support of safe motherhood and for those whose voices have been silenced by maternal death. He noted that because of their public and celebrity status, they would reach audiences and open doors not usually accessible to the GLOMEF.

 Instead of GLOMEF pursuing the media to cover safe motherhood stories, the media will pursue the champions to speak about safe motherhood.

He said the Champions will contribute to GLOMEF’s sustainability by expanding the cadre of voices speaking out against maternal mortality.

 The CEO said GLOMEF would engage First Ladies, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Clergy, Movie Stars, Models, Chiefs, Pop Stars, and Actors to serve as GLOMEF champions for safe motherhood.

On the Mobile Van Clinic strategy, he said  they create health care unit once in a month at Health Care Post Units to identify high risk pregnant and lactating mothers and children suffering from malnutrition and they will be referred for consultation with medical officers to hospitals and clinics  where daily services will be made available.

 He noted that regular grant monitoring and advice on diet control will also be given to the expected and lactating mothers and children. At the health post minor iron and vitamin deficiency diseases will also be treated by community organizer at village level.