The logistics include; an elevator, a Cardiotocograph, television sets, projectors, electric fans and air-conditioners.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Madam Rosina Twumasi, a Midwifery Officer at the Unit, said the Cardiotocograph known as CTG machine, is used to monitor a foetal heartbeat and wellbeing.

She said the Unit had just one and therefore resorted to using Sonicaid and Pinard Horn Stethoscope which sometimes give inaccurate results of the foetus’ condition unlike the CTG machine which brought out the exact condition of a foetus.

She noted that the Hospital needed the machines each at the maternity ward, obstetrics and gynaecology ward, antenatal care unit, caesarean session ward, and the labour ward.

“With the CTG machine, we could easily and quickly detect the poor condition of a foetus and prepare the patient for caesarean session if necessary to prevent loss of the baby or mother,” she said.

Madam Twumasi emphasised that it was also important for monitoring the heartbeat of a foetus in the process of delivery, until a mother delivered.

She said the theatre for the Maternity Unit, had been relocated to the second floor of the Unit and the only way to access it was through the staircase.

“Therefore for us to convey a patient to the theatre is a challenge as they cannot walk in their condition and we can’t even use a stretcher because we don’t have a ramp to allow easy movement, we only have a staircase.

“After the surgery, we also need to convey them back to the ward, which is downstairs and it affects both the patients and us. It is also impossible for a patient to climb the stairs to the lying ward after delivery because usually they feel dizzy and weak after delivering”.

Madam Twumasi, who is also the Second-In-Charge of the resting ward, disclosed that plans were underway to move the labour ward from downstairs to the second floor for effective healthcare delivery, however, it was going to be more challenging for the pregnant women in labour to climb up the stairs to deliver.

The Unit, she noted, was an enclosed area with poor ventilation but lacked air-conditioners and electric fans.“The heat generated in the wards therefore put the patients in distress as well as those who have been delivered of their babies,” she said.

 The Midwifery Officer explained that the staff also needed the logistics to comfortably execute their duties, adding that, “Sometimes, we would be sweating as we take care of our patients and it doesn’t make us deliver our duties well because we have divided attention”.

Mrs Veronica Obeng, a Senior Midwifery Officer, also appealed for television sets for each ward to provide comfort to the patients as most of them in labour often engaged in a lot of thinking especially about their family, how successful their labour would be, which increased their blood pressure.

“Watching their favourite programmes on TV would calm down their minds and stabilise the blood pressure,” she said.

Mrs Obeng also urged the Government and NGOs to support the Unit with a projector especially at the antenatal care unit to help in the education of their patients especially on nutrition, physical changes they should expect and those they should seek medical attention for in their condition.

She said: “Because our clients are from different ethnic backgrounds, some of them struggle to understand what we teach them and so a projector would help us a lot with images and videos”.