The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Ghana, through the UNICEF Italian National Committee (NatCom), has built a newborn care unit with modern equipment for the Tamale West Hospital.
The facility, built with support from the Ghana Health Service (GHS), is to provide quality neonatal care services to clients in the Tamale Metropolis and its environs.
It would also serve as a Centre of Excellence for the training of health staff in the Northern regions to build their capacities and enhance their knowledge in Newborn Care.
Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director General of the GHS, speaking at a short ceremony to commission the edifice, said maternal and child health, including newborn care, was one of the priority health indicators being used to assess the development of countries globally.
He noted that the state-of-the-art facility would provide quality intensive neonatal services to help reduce deaths in the Northern Region.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye commended UNICEF Ghana and its partners for the donation and said the unit would contribute to improved neonatal health care services delivery in the region.
He urged the authorities of the Northern Regional Health Directorate and the management of the Tamale West Hospital to ensure proper maintenance of the facility to guarantee its sustainability.
Madam Anne-Claire Dufay, UNICEF Country Representative in Ghana, said “we know that when babies are born, they will need hope through modern equipment to enable them to be fit and develop, therefore the unit and the equipment will make a difference in the lives of newborn babies.”
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She said the provision of the facility was part of planned efforts to build the capacity of the Hospital to manage neonatal referrals from other health facilities in the region and beyond.
She said the facility would not only help reduce child delivery complications but also help to reduce preventable neonatal and maternal mortality in the region.
Madam Dufay noted that similar interventions were carried out in other hospitals in the Northern regions, including Walewale Hospital in the North East Region.
Dr Patrick Bampoh, Medical Superintendent at the Tamale West Hospital, expressed gratitude to donors for the intervention and said the unit would go a long way to improve the survival of newborns.
He indicated that the facility would enable them to offer intermediary care to newborns, including more comprehensive care for those at risk, small and sick babies.
He pledged his commitment to ensuring the facility was put to good use and served the purpose for which it was built.
