Community Volunteers Trained on Intermittent Preventive Therapy in Pregnancy (IPTp)

August 7, 2022

Malaria infection during pregnancy causes maternal anaemia and placental parasitemia, both of which are responsible for miscarriages and low birth weight babies among pregnant women. Malaria in pregnancy is a priority area in the control of malaria and Ghana has over the past years deployed several strategies to address the problem. In 2003, Ghana adopted the Intermittent Preventive Treatment during Pregnancy (IPTp) strategy using Sulphadoxine and Pyrimethamine (SP), together with the use of insecticides treated nets, for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy.

Community volunteers are essential and valuable human resource component in community health promotion activities.  They are easy conduit in getting information to the community people and assisting health professionals in their community-level duties and activities.  By virtue of the National Malaria Control Intermittent Prevention Therapy in pregnancy project, it is imperative to upgrade their knowledge and skills to be able to deliver according to the expectations of the project. 

In view of this, HFFG in collaboration with the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District Health Directorate, organised a one-day review/sensitisation meeting on 7th July 2022 at the premises of Twifo Atti-Morkwa Health Directorate. Resource persons were the HFFG Coordinator and the Health Promotion Officer of the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District Health Directorate.

Objectives of the training were to;

  1. Update participant’s knowledge on malaria control interventions,
  2. Update participant’s knowledge on Malaria BCC key messages,
  3. Sensistise participants on ideal skills for effective community mobilization,
  4. Responsibilities of a community volunteer.
An experienced volunteer demonstrating data collection skills to participants

The main task of the volunteers is to identify pregnant women, link them up to facilities for the uptake of SP and do follow up on them.  Some experienced volunteers on the project practically demonstrated the deep knowledge they have gained over the period they have been on the project.

The expectation is that the volunteers will exhibit high level of professionalism and work according to laid down project structures.