In a heart-wrenching account from the Bongo district of Ghana, 29-year-old Dorcas Azongo’s experience during childbirth underscores the dire challenges faced by many women in accessing safe maternal care. Her ordeal, marked by a treacherous journey across rivers while in labour with twins, reveals the systemic failures in healthcare facilities that continue to plague some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
The Struggle for Safe Childbirth
Dorcas Azongo’s fight to deliver her twins safely is a poignant reminder of the inadequacies in maternal healthcare, particularly in regions with limited resources. Living in Beo-Tankoo, a community in one of Ghana’s poorest districts, she was confronted with a grim choice: either give birth at home without assistance or embark on a perilous trek to find a facility equipped to handle her case. Her story, shared by Basile Ouedraogo, a communications specialist with WaterAid, sheds light on the urgent need for improved healthcare services.
With no maternity ward in her community health centre, nor access to clean water and sanitation, Dorcas attempted to reach a clinic, only to be turned away due to staff limitations concerning twin deliveries. Undeterred, she crossed a flooded river at night, enduring excruciating contractions, before her husband arrived on a borrowed motorbike. They traversed another river, ultimately reaching Bongo Hospital, where Dorcas delivered her twins outside before being able to access a bed.
The Consequences of Inadequate Care
The emotional and physical toll of such an experience is profound. After nearly a year, when asked about her twins’ health, Dorcas expressed her deep concern: “The twins are unwell almost all the time. If I bring them [for treatment], it’s not even a whole month before they have a temperature again.” Her words encapsulate a grim reality faced by many mothers in similar situations, revealing how lack of resources and healthcare can have lasting implications on child health.
The Bongo district, characterised by some of the lowest access rates to water, sanitation, and hygiene in Ghana, places mothers and midwives in perilous situations. The absence of adequate maternity services means that many women, like Dorcas, are forced to risk their lives and the lives of their children in pursuit of the care they need.
A Call to Action
Dorcas’s harrowing journey is not an isolated incident; it reflects a broader, systemic issue that affects countless women across the globe. WaterAid’s ‘Time to Deliver’ campaign aims to address these inequities by advocating for comprehensive water, sanitation, and hygiene services in every healthcare facility. Ahead of the UN water conference later this year, the campaign seeks to ensure that no woman has to endure what Dorcas did, fighting for both her life and the lives of her babies.
Dorcas’s resolve to share her story is rooted in a desire to spark change. As she continues to raise her four children while balancing her role as a teacher, she has made it clear that under such dire conditions, she does not wish to have more children. Her narrative serves as a powerful reminder of the strength and resilience of mothers, and the urgent need for systemic reform in maternal healthcare.
Why it Matters
The plight of Dorcas Azongo is emblematic of the ongoing global struggle for maternal health equity. It raises critical questions about the accessibility and quality of healthcare services available to pregnant women, especially in impoverished regions. Every two seconds, a woman gives birth without access to clean water and adequate sanitation, leading to preventable complications and fatalities. Addressing these disparities is essential for the health and wellbeing of mothers and their children worldwide. As we reflect on Dorcas’s experience, it becomes increasingly clear that meaningful change is not just a necessity but an obligation to ensure that every mother can bring her child into the world with the care and dignity they deserve.
