75 PERCENT OF NEW BORNS IN GHANA DIE WITHIN THEIR FIRST MONTH-HEALTH DIR

The Kumasi Metro Health Director, Dr. Kwesi Yeboah-Awudzie says about seventy five percent of children die within a month of their birth in Ghana. 

According to him, this is mostly attributable to some deformities and congenital conditions they suffer as a result of stress and other health complications their mothers undergo before and during pregnancy. 

Dr. Awudzie disclosed this in Kumasi at the launch of the “Special Needs Babies Campaign” which is an initiative by Pregnancy Stress Foundation, a Kumasi-based  non-profit organization. 

The metro Health Director explained that most of the abnormal conditions of special need babies can be reversed with early and effective medical and surgical interventions targeted at the reduction of maternal and child mortality. 

Dr. Yeboah-Awudzi therefore appealed to corporate institutions, benevolent groups and individuals to provide both financial and material support to victims and their mothers who constitute. 

He also advised pregnant mothers to desist from behaviours such as smoking and excessive drinking especially within the first three months since that contributes greatly to deformities in their babies. 

The Executive Director of PSF-Ghana, Madam Victoria Darko Ampem mentioned the creation of awareness on the existence of pre-matured babies and also to mobilize financial support to assist parents of such babies as some of the objectives of the campaign. 

 She also added that the organization is working to establish a rehabilitation centre as part of the continuous support for such vulnerable people in society with plans to extend its services to other parts of the country. 

The organization donated seed money of ten thousand Ghana Cedis towards the campaign.