Mothers’ health vital, says staff

 By ELIZABETH MIAE

HEALTH workers’ attitude towards pregnant women during ante-natal check-up is important because it will determine whether they will choose to give birth at a health facility, a doctor says. 

The health department’s executive manager for public health Dr Sibauk Bieb said health workers at antenatal clinics were focusing only on ante-natal care and that had to change.

Bieb was speaking at the presentation of the Phase One results of the childbirth emergency phone project being tried out in Milne Bay during 2011 and 2012.

“I agree completely on the current health workers’ attitude focusing only on ante-natal care. We’re not spending enough time in preparing them for delivery. 

“This is an important area that needs to be addressed.”

He said health workers were just checking the women’s weight, blood pressure and other basic checks, before giving them their next date of visit to the clinic.

Bieb was however pleased with the findings of the research on the phone project conducted by Dr Amanda Watson and Gaius Sabumei.

The Alotau General Hospital’s labour ward where the emergency phone was installed received calls from women enquiring about ante-natal care prior to delivery. 

He said it showed how people were becoming more aware of the importance of maternal health. 

“The bottom line is we are focusing so much on the mother’s life. But what about the infant?” he said.

Prof Glen Mola of the University of Papua New Guinea School of Medicine and Health Sciences said women must be encouraged to have a supervised and safe delivery at a health facility. 

The aim of the project was to test whether voice calls could assist in health service delivery.