Voting and quality maternal health care for women

(A GNA Feature by Samuel Adadi Akapule)   Bolgatanga, Nov. 26, GNA -  In a free election the voters choose political representations that best stand for their needs. Voting, it should be emphasized is not meant for free. Voters elect their representatives to serve them and their representatives are accountable to them. Through the election process, people choose which politician and political party they trust to speak for them and to deliver what they want if the party comes into government.   In a democratic election everyone has an equal right to elect or reject the current government. The voters therefore are the most powerful when it comes to elections. They can make a party or presidential candidate win or lose the election. It is therefore very crucial for politicians to take the needs of the electorate very serious if they want to win an election and retain it.   In instances where politicians turn their back on the electorate, they suffer major setbacks by losing next election. Where they listen and satisfy the demands of the citizens as often captured in their manifestoes, they win.   Participants at a forum organised in Bolgatanga in October this year to create a platform for citizens to engage the political parties on maternal mortality issues noted that Politicians, and for that matter Governments, over the years lacked the political commitment to deal with the issue.   The forum, which was organised by the Participatory Action for Rural Development Alternative (PARDA), a non-governmental organisation under OXFAM’s “Maternal Mortality Project”, attracted representatives of Political parties, traditional authorities, assembly members, women's groups and opinion leaders among others.   The political parties that were represented were the National Democratic Congress, (NDC) New Patriotic Party (NPP), People’s National Convention (PNC), Convention People’s Party (CPP) and Progressive People's Party (PPP).   The forum stressed the need for the political parties to make the issue of maternal mortality one of the cardinal principles in their manifestoes and to make sure they implement their policies and programmes effectively if they are elected to power.   The participants expressed concern about the spate of maternal mortality in the country and called on government and other stakeholders to pay special attention to the subject by providing the necessary logistics and human resources in health facilities, especially those in the deprived areas such as the three Northern Regions, to reverse the scourge. Additionally they raised issues about the shortage of health professionals, particularly doctors, midwives, ambulance services to convey the sick, particularly pregnant women from deprived communities to health facilities and unaffordable healthcare.   The doctor to patient ratio in the Upper East Region is one doctor to 38,000 patients. Health workers and other public sector employees are unwilling to accept postings to certain parts of the country, particularly areas considered to be deprived. Consequently, there are hospitals and health facilities without health professionals dotted in many parts of the country. This challenge deprives certain parts of the country of their fair share of the national cake.   Meanwhile, there are scores of doctors and health professionals in urban areas contributing very little to the national economy and concentrating on their own private businesses at the expense of the state. To attract health professionals particularly doctors to deprived areas, the government has always introduced some incentive packages for workers who accept postings to such areas. Unfortunately, this policy has done very little to address the problem at hand satisfactorily.   Perhaps the time has come to take another look at the policy if it has failed to make the desired impact. Participants at the Bolga forum called on the government to commit more resources to improve conditions in the rural areas. The road network, schools, potable water, electricity, as well as recreational facilities, must be improved in such areas so that a transfer does not appear to be a punishment.   Political parties that win power must also make it compulsory for Health Professionals to accept to serve people in the remotest parts of the country as a sign of appreciation for the contributions made by people in those areas towards the creation of national wealth. It would be recalled that Mr Sebastian Tiah, Country Director of Oxfam at the forum, said the main focus of his outfit was to work towards the elimination of the structural causes of poverty, making economic and social justice a top global priority and playing an active role in the global movement for a just world.   He said health was a human right issue and expressed wonder why women in an attempt to exercise their reproductive rights should to die. Mr Tiah stressed that it is unacceptable in the 21st century for a pregnant woman to die when giving birth.   It is therefore very significant for the various political parties seeking the people's mandate now to take the demands made by the electorate seriously by implementing them should anyone of them win the impending Presidential election.   Any Political party that wins power must ensure that demands such as adequate health infrastructure, affordable medical health care, means of ambulance services, and adequate health facilities are provided. There is no doubt that if Political parties fulfill their promises they would reap the fullest benefit. This time voters are more discerning than previously and that should be a signal to all political parties and their  candidates.   The Political Parties at the forum that promised to provide adequate health facilities including the building of more hospitals and institutions to train the manpower needs to make health more affordable and accessible among others must adhere to their promises when they win the forthcoming electionand form the next government. They must bear in mind that voters would monitor them to see whether they fulfill their promises.   Voters, on their part, must hold the politicians accountable and punish them by refusing to vote for them in the next election should they fail to live up to their campaign pledges.... Read Full Story