Dr. Samuel Tibil Salamat, a Paediatrician, has appealed for specially designed ambulances for children in the country to improve on their healthcare and control avoidable infant deaths.

He expressed regret that government ambulances distributed nationwide were all unfriendly to children, making it difficult to use.

Dr. Salamat, a medical practitioner at the Berekum Holy Family Catholic Hospital and the Bono Regional NewBorn Focal Person made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the side-line of an orientation workshop for Newborn Care Champions in Sunyani.

He said recently, a child referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi lost his life on their way due to the unfriendly nature of the ambulance conveying the child from Berekum, saying, the Hospital had recorded several of such cases.

He said paediatric centres in the region lacked incubators, child monitors and related medical devices and equipment, regretting that Bono Region had only four paediatricians and four paediatric-skilled nurses.

New Born Care Champions is an advocacy group, made up of civil society actors, traditional authorities, faith leaders, government functionaries, media and musicians working to promote newborn care.

PATH Ghana, a non-governmental organisation and its partners in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service formed the NewBorn Care Champions in line with PATH, "Making Every Baby Count Initiative (MEBCI Two) project being implemented in parts of the country.

The project, according to PATH, an international NGO that drives transformative innovation to save lives and improve health, especially among women and children was a continuation of the MBECI One that targets achieving 15 per cent reduction of institutional newborn mortality by increasing the proportion of deliveries conducted by skilled birth attendants.

Dr. Salamat explained the newborn period was a period with an estimated 2.8 million babies dying in the first month of life globally, due to infections, anaemia and other causes.

He, therefore, advised mothers to critically monitor their children in their formative years, and ensure immediate report of any abnormalities to health workers.

Nana Yaa Korkor Sakyiwaa III, the Queen of Amasu in the Dormaa Traditional Area, and a member of the Champions, expressed concern about the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy, and called for concerted efforts to control the trend.

She lauded the MBECI and called on District and Municipal Assemblies to commit resources to the campaign.

Another New Born Care Champion, Nana Yeboah Pene II, the Queen of Chiraa in the Sunyani West Municipality and Benkumhemaa of the Dormaa Traditional Area appealed for incubators, child monitors and modern medical devices for the Chiraa Health Centre.

Mrs. Patience Dapaah, Advocacy Advisor, PATH Ghana, explained the MBECI had trained 16 champions in the then Brong-Ahafo, 15 in Ashanti, 16 in Eastern and 12 in Volta regions, as well as 10 champions at the national level.