The cloud seemed to have won a duel against the sun on this dull Tuesday morning. The rain was threatening to unleash a storm but the team was determined to get some work done at the Nsuta Polyclinic.
It was 9:30am when we arrived at the facility. The lawn was invitingly fresh with a serene ambiance – just what we needed to lighten up the mood. A Community Health Nurse, Dentaa, offered to escort us to the midwife in-charge.
We headed for our guest’s office meandering through a cluster of women, many of whom were breastfeeding their babies, and waiting in line for their turn to see the midwives. And there she was, beaming with smiles as she extended her hand to welcome us. She sat next to Nii Sarpei, the Advocacy Associate of the E4A Ghana office and asked: “Me ma mo atenase oo”, to wit, “I welcome you”.
Maame Margaret Osafo, the 55-year-old head midwife of the Nsuta Polyclinic in the Sekyere Central District of the Ashanti Region, was clad in a white spotless apparel with white flat shoes and socks to match. Two pens were tucked neatly in her left breast pocket like your typical small town head mistress.
Why Midwifery?
I just finished attending to a pregnant woman and it was an easy one for the mother and the baby
Margaret said, with a mild but audible tone freezing my thoughts momentarily as my eyes scanned the office, which could only host a maximum of five normal-sized people at a time.
“I hear you have some questions for me” she asked, leaning on her desk.“Yes” I responded and blurted: “Why midwifery?”
Maame Margaret giggled, chuckled and replied: "I am not sure I can do anything better than taking care of pregnant women. Despite the pressures involved, I always end up with a deep sense of joy knowing that my skills save lives at any given time. I have asked myself this question on several occasions and the answer has been the same. I am where I have always wanted to be...If you hope to get a safe job and work in a less stressful environment, you are better off joining the nunnery. Midwifery is not for you."
Forthright advice from the professional midwife with 26 years of experience.
Life-saving motorbikes
She has worked in one of the remotest and most deprived areas in the region – Afram Plains – where she had to commute on a motor bike to reach pregnant women. She said the road network is so deplorable, she sometimes had to park the motor bike and walk for five miles to attend to her patients.
People have no idea how difficult it is for folks in the village. They are cut out of any form of health support and their only hope of survival is through mobile health officials like me and other community health nurses.
With proper budgetary expenditure, the country can provide decent facilities to cater for people living in areas around the Plains, she said.
"I was on a motor bike with one of my nurses when I came across a man and his wife waiting for a cart to make it to a traditional birth attendant. The woman had been bleeding for some time so we quickly took her to a nearby shed and cleaned her up. The farmer who owned the shed was a very kind man. He offered his thatched hut to us. After about 30 minutes, the baby was coming out with the umbilical cord tied around the neck. That was not good...If the umbilical cord is tight, it can take a while to relieve the baby and sometimes if care is not taken you can lose the baby. We were in the middle of nowhere with virtually no equipment. Fortunately, I had some cord clamps to help hold the cord while I cut through to relieve the baby. If the woman had not met us on the way, chances are that she would have lost the baby and probably bled to death."
Maame Margaret covered her face in her capped palm, obviously indicating how challenging it was even for someone with her experience.
Institutional support
Many young midwives and nurses come here but cannot stay because of the lack of residential facilities and a non-existent social life. They lose interest within a matter of days and quickly find their way out of here faster than you can spell M-I-D-W-I-F-E.
As if by design, everyone in the office burst with laughter at her last words. She continued:
For some of us, this is our home region. We cannot go anywhere even if we wanted to. It’s our life. I have heard people describe midwifery as a calling but I see it differently. It’s a way of life. It’s a commitment that goes beyond dedication. It is a passion for saving lives; a passion that provides light and hope to many women and their families.
The conviction etched on her forehead was enough to convince anyone who cared to pay attention. "I don’t blame anyone for refusing to work in places like the Afram Plains and surrounding villages.It’s difficult to live and work there. There are many young midwives and nurses who are sacrificing their lives to live in dangerous areas just save lives, but that kind of sacrifice is not sustainable. Eventually, they will get tired and leave. Dedication from health officials alone is not enough to save the lives of all these women and babies. The authorities must provide the essential support."
Asked if she had any last words, Maame Margaret smiled, waved her right index finger a few times and then succinctly said:
“Dedication must work in various ways. While we break our backs, the authorities must be dedicated to put the necessary facilities and equipment in place. The women and their families must show a sense of eagerness to visit the hospital on time.”
Need I say more? Maame Margaret, the MamaYe Ghana team wishes to celebrate you for your immense contribution to the survival of women In Ghana.