“…The midwife came to my home to administer SP because I couldn’t afford antenatal care,” Agyeiwaa, not her real name, a pregnant woman at Nyinase, says with a broad smile.
Rolling her eyes, she adds, “This programme shows me people care; I won’t default again.”
Nyinase, a farming community in the Central Region, is noted for issues with decline in uptake of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) for malaria prevention.
To address this major concern, Hope for Future Generations engaged Agartha Arkoh, a devoted Community-based Health Volunteer at the Nyinase Health Facility, under the Malaria Prevention Programme. She has volunteered with the programme for over four (4) years and also serves as an orderly at the facility. She ensures pregnant women receive antenatal care (ANC) and take Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) for malaria prevention. She monitors their visits and encourages adherence to ANC schedules.
Agartha and midwife Kwatemaa engaging a pregnant woman
Having noticed a decline in ANC attendance and SP uptake within the period, she promptly reported the issue to the HFFG Project Officer.
This necessitated home visits by the team – the volunteer, Charlotte Kwatemaa, the midwife, and the HFFG Project Officer.
They went from house to house to administer SP to defaulters.
The joint effort yielded remarkable results, with pregnant women welcoming the midwife home visits, expressing gratitude for the care and concern shown. “I’ve never experienced such care!” Another pregnant woman exclaimed.
The table below shows significant improvement in the IPTp uptake after the home visit in August 2024.
| Month | Facility | IPT 1 | IPT 2 | IPT 3 | IPT 4 | IPT 5 |
| July 2024 | Nyinase CHPS | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| August 2024 | Nyinase CHPS | 6 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Sep-24 | Nyinase CHPS | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
End.