The Ghana National Association of Registered Midwives (GNARM) has lamented the logistical challenges that continue to affect the delivery of quality health care. 

They insist pregnant women have sometimes had to buy some essential drugs to aid delivery and want government to come to their aid.

However, Mary Ofosu, the president of the Association, urged members to continue to discharge their duties professionally amid the numerous deficiencies in logistics.

"We work with non-drugs or logistics such as gloves, parazones, delivering beds, etc. But when you go to some facilities, you don't have them to work with. So the mothers have to buy It themselves, which is not supposed to be", she lamented. 

She said dealing with blood and human fluids requires they get such basic logistics to ensure the protection of staff and the mothers at the health facilities.

Madam Ofosu, therefore, appealed to the government and the hospital management to procure enough of the logistics to help them work efficiently. 

She appealed to the authorities to involve the midwives during the procurement since they know and work with the items.

She spoke at the GNARM's National Executive Council meeting in Sunyani, in the Bono Region.

With representatives from all the 16 regions of Ghana, the meeting was a platform for members to deliberate on issues that affect their welfare and services.

"While the association advocates for proper placement and recognition for midwives, it will equally admonish its members and practising midwives to work hard, take issues concerning their education and development seriously, avail themselves when opportunities occur, and compete for positions for which they have the requisite qualifications', Mary Ofosu told the members.

She intimated that the Association's discussions with the Ghana Health Service have resulted in establishing the deputy midwifery officer and deputy director of midwifery service positions as an additional grade. 

The Chief Pharmacist in the Bono Region, Steven Korang, speaking on behalf of the Bono regional health director, Dr Kofi Amo-Kodieh, applauded the midwives for helping achieve the set target of a 15% reduction in neonatal and maternal mortality for the year.

He revealed that the health directorate interventions included consistent monitoring and reviewing maternal audits in the districts and hospitals.

 "All these could not have happened without midwives in our health system and the critical roles they continue to play", he said and charged them to do more to improve the quality of care for their clients.

The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Yaw Baah, advised the midwifery Association to always keep in mind the primary purpose of breaking away from the Ghana Nursing and Midwives Association, which was to protect the midwives.

Dr Baah noted that midwives face many challenges during their work which sometimes leads to loss of lives.

He wants them to be ready to surmount the many obstacles confronting them as an association.

Dr Baah said, "whereas we are protecting the mothers, the Association and Union must also be there to protect the midwives".

 "TUC wants to be part of this journey that you are embarking on. The journey to protect all midwives in Ghana", he said, urging them to consider joining the TUC because together they can achieve more.

In a presentation on "Respectful Maternity Care", Dr Nana Yaa Asaa-Aboagye, told the midwives, "the notion of safe motherhood must be expanded beyond the prevention of morbidity or mortality to encompass respect for a woman's basic human rights, including respect for autonomy, dignity, feelings, choices, preferences, including companionship during maternity care".