Improving newborn care in Ashanti - a look at the role of the Mother and Baby Unit of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ghana

Abstract

Background One of the targets of the Ghana Newborn Strategy for the period 2019 to 2023 is the reduction of Institutional Neonatal Mortality Rate by at least 40% by 2023. This paper seeks to describe how the Mother Baby Unit (MBU) of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), is collaborating with other Facilities in the Region to achieve this goal. Methods Admission and Mortality Data was collected from 7 peripheral facilities that have Pediatricians and which admit and manage Newborns in Ashanti Region. This Data was collected in the period immediately before and after MBU began to take deliberate steps to reduce congestion, which was identified as a major challenge to providing good quality care. The data was analyzed to look at the contribution of MBU to Newborn Care in the Ashanti Region and whether these steps were yielding Results Following the partial closure in May 2021, there was a deliberate effort to collaborate more closely with other Facilities in the Ashanti Region. It was found that though the number of admissions reduced by nearly 50%, this did not reflect in a commensurate reduction in Mortality Rates. In the period, KATH MBU, had 45% of facility Newborn admissions but 80% of facility Newborn deaths in the Region. The reduction in admissions did not appear to significantly increase admissions in these 7 other facilities. Mortality rates in the 7 Facilities looked at, ranged from 0.3% to 8.2%. The average newborn Mortality rate of the 7 facilities was 3.05%. Conclusions A reduction in numbers of newborns admitted into MBU is possible through effective collaboration with other Facilities, but further steps need to be taken to improve care and reduce the Units Facility Newborn Mortality Rates.