The capacity-building workshop was organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the hope of attaining the
Millennium Development Goals four and five by 2015.
The goals include reducing child mortality by two-thirds and maternal mortality by three-quarters.
Fredricka Hanson, UNFPA representative, said Ghana still faces tough challenges in maternal health and childcare.
‘We have failed as a country to improve infrastructures in midwife institutions, even though we want to achieve Millennium Development Goals four and five,’ she said.
The event was attended by about 40 senior and junior midwives from across the country.
The aim was to provide a platform for leadership development of midwives in the public and private sectors.
Those present shared best practices for improving maternal and newborn healthcare delivery and were also updated on healthcare innovations.
It is hoped that the event has strengthened supervision and leadership and enhanced policy development and implementation.
Dr Asiedu Bekoe, representative of Ashanti Region Health Directorate, expressed concern about dwindling of public faith in midwifery services and said some midwives are perceived as ‘unfriendly and cruel’.
He added that he believes for the goals to be achieved, there must be higher standards of professionalisms.
