Pregnant women in Abrubruwa, a farming community in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region, are increasingly relying on Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) for delivery due to the absence of maternity facilities at the local CHPS compound.
The situation exposes expectant mothers to serious health risks, as they cannot access skilled delivery services within the community. A visit by Adom News revealed that the CHPS compound, constructed several years ago, lacks modern medical equipment and does not have a maternity unit to support safe childbirth.
Speaking to Adom News, a nurse at the facility, Patricia Kumi, said the lack of maternity infrastructure severely limits access to quality maternal healthcare. She explained that although pregnant women receive antenatal care at the CHPS compound, they are compelled to travel long distances to the Brewsniase Health Centre or Nkwanta Township to deliver—a journey that often endangers both mother and child.
According to her, the absence of a maternity unit and skilled midwives has made childbirth particularly challenging for women in the community. She stressed that the construction of a modern maternity facility would significantly improve maternal and child health outcomes.
Some pregnant women also appealed to benevolent individuals and organizations to support the provision of a delivery room at the CHPS compound to ease their burden and reduce preventable complications.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Abrubruwa, Nana Ohiakum Danso II, said the community has initiated efforts to raise funds for the construction of a maternity centre. He noted that work on the project has already begun and that the facility will be equipped with modern medical equipment to improve maternal and child healthcare services.
The chief lamented that the CHPS compound currently has no resident midwife, forcing all labour cases to be referred to distant health facilities. He said several pregnant women have lost their lives due to severe complications arising from delayed access to care.
He therefore appealed to the government, non-governmental organisations, and other stakeholders to support the community’s efforts to complete the maternity facility and enhance healthcare delivery in Abrubruwa.
