U/E Regional Hospital Anticipate High Number of Twin Deliveries This Year

The Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga has delivered eleven twins since the beginning of the year and anticipate delivering about 140 by the end of 2018, the highest in the past five years.

The 206 bed capacity facility for the past five years, recorded 94 twin deliveries in 2014 which was the lowest, but had significant increases of such deliveries in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

In 2013, 100 twins were delivered which increased to 132 and 108 respectively in 2015 and 2016, while 117 were delivered in 2017.

When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the Maternity unit on Tuesday morning, Mrs Jemila Mohammed, the Maternity Ward in-charge, disclosed that the Unit had successfully delivered two sets of twins who had been discharged earlier.

She said some of the deliveries done over the years were through Caesarian Sections (CS) because they had complications, and added that twin deliveries were quite different from the usual lone baby delivery.

Mrs Mohammed described as dangerous the attitude of some expectant mothers who would usually wait for their pregnancies to advance before they attended Ante-Natal Clinic (ANC), and further urged them to desist from the act, and endeavour to report early for proper care.

She admonished pregnant women who were put on the Direct Observed Treatment (DOT) at the ANC to take it seriously, insisting that no pregnant woman should delay at home and take locally prepared concoctions because such concoctions could rapture the uterus and cause excessive bleeding.

She urged all pregnant women to report immediately to the nearest health facility anytime they detected any unusual feeling, and advocated exclusive breastfeeding for six months, and the immunisation of new-borns to prevent early childhood diseases.

Mrs Mohammed said “pregnant women should take their routine laboratory investigations seriously,” adding that severe malaria and anaemia in early pregnancy if not treated could cause intra-uterine growth restriction, abortion, still birth, neonatal and congenital malaria.

She encouraged women to eat nutritious and well balanced diets and emphasised the need for them to disregard the perception that “if a pregnant woman eats eggs, the child in her womb will grow to become a thief” and called on relatives of clients on admission to adhere to the official visiting hours which were from 0530 hours to 0600 hours, and 1730 hours to 1800 hours respectively as visiting at unofficial hours interfered with activities at the unit.

Source: GNA