Monrovia – A local non-governmental group, Serene Health for All Mobile Clinic (SHMC), is discouraging women of Liberia about giving birth at home or delivering at substandard midwives’ homes.
The Chief Executive Officer of Serene Mobile Clinic, Ms. Maima Quoi Pelham, said her organization is currently training over thirty-six General Community Health Volunteers to monitor over hundred pregnant women in the Caldwell-Louisiana area.
According to madam Pelham, the practice of giving birth home has increased birth complications for pregnant women.
“As an organization, we are working closely with the pregnant women, encouraging them to go to the health facilities [while] in their pregnancy. Our GCHVs will monitor them and make report to us on a monthly basis, we want to discourage pregnant women to stop delivering at home and go to the health facilities,” she noted.
The program which is titled “My Baby, My Life”, intends to encourage pregnant women in the targeted communities to keep visiting health centers or hospitals.
Madam Pelham said the initiative is also intended to constantly check on pregnant women and encourage them to visit health facilities before they give birth.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Serene Health for All Mobile Clinics has however frowned on what she called home delivery by traditional mid-wife.
Madam Pelham said the Serene Health for All Mobile Clinic was established to help pregnant women get regular treatment to prevent complication.
She spoke with the FrontPageAfrica at the end of a one-day training for General community health volunteers and traditional midwife in the Township of Louisiana.
The workshop was sponsored by the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) and EXX-Mobile.
Madam Pelham noted that the project will target one hundred pregnant women in the Louisiana Township.
The role of the General Community Health Volunteers (GCHVs) is to monitor and remind pregnant women to constantly visit the hospitals and encourage them to take their pills until delivery.
Madam Pelham said scratch cards and compensation will be provided for the GCHVs on a monthly basis, while pregnant women who are being monitor will receive a package upon delivery.
She explained that during the monitoring process, when a complicated case is observed, the SHMC will immediately intervene and recommend the patient to a better health facility and underwrite the cost.