Member of Parliament (MP) for Bosomtwe in the Ashanti Region, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has rallied support among health workers and urged them to work towards ensuring zero maternal mortality in the district.
He has pledged to support the provision of resources to eliminate issues associated with the “no bed syndrome” as part of efforts to improve quality healthcare delivery in the district.
Healthcare delivery within the Bosomtwe District continues to be challenged by limited resources and inadequate infrastructure.
Another major challenge confronting health workers is the poor road network, particularly in the transportation of patients. The District Hospital at Kuntenase is also not spared from these difficulties.
Hospital authorities highlighted challenges at the facility’s maternity wards. Administrator at the Kuntenase Government Hospital, Nozelle Naa Adjeley Ashiao, explained that the limited number of beds at the maternity wards was taking a toll on healthcare delivery, as both health workers and patients continue to struggle.
She said, “Yes, it is challenging both for the mothers and the health workers. For the mother, she has just delivered, and having to lie on the floor becomes very difficult. In some cases, she may even have to undergo a Caesarean section and many other procedures, making the situation unhealthy and unsafe for her recovery.
“For the health workers too, nursing patients on the floor comes with its own difficulties, including back pain and other physical strain. Overall, the situation has not been good for both patients and healthcare staff.”
Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who is well aware of the challenges at the facility, has intervened with the extension of the maternity ward and the addition of 12 more beds.
At a short ceremony to hand over the extended facility to hospital authorities, he said, “I want to reduce maternal mortality to the barest minimum in my constituency. The number of beds at the facility was very limited — about eight or so — so I decided to add 12 more beds.
“The aim is to ensure that when pregnant women come here for delivery, there will always be space for them and they will neither be forced to deliver on the floor nor be turned away. I am excited that today we are able to officially open the extension.”
He pledged his commitment to ending maternal-related deaths and urged health workers to work towards achieving the goal.
Dr Adutwum also indicated his resolve to ensure that all hospitals within the Bosomtwe District are adequately resourced, particularly with beds, so that patients seeking medical care will not be turned away due to the lack of beds.
“So, at the very least, what we have done at Bosomtwe is to ensure that we do not confront such a situation again. We are going to do everything possible to ensure that all hospitals at Bosomtwe get enough beds so that nobody will be turned away because there is no bed,” he added.
Hospital authorities also outlined other challenges, including the need to renovate the hospital’s walkway to ensure the smooth transportation of patients within the facility, and appealed to the public for support. 
