More than 300 pregnant women turned out at the Kasseh Health Centre in Ada for free ultrasound scans and antenatal support organised by the Telecel Ghana Foundation despite heavy rainfall on outreach day.
The exercise, part of the Foundation’s bimonthly Rural Ultrasound initiative, delivered ultrasound scans, medical reports, nutritional counselling and antenatal education to expectant mothers from Kasseh and surrounding communities. Women whose scans revealed early signs of complications such as anaemia were referred to the health facility for continued clinical monitoring and follow up care.
The Kasseh turnout is the largest single event figure recorded under the initiative this year, eclipsing previous outreaches in Naaha in the Upper West Region, which served 134 women in March, and Kubori in the North East Region, where 169 expectant mothers were screened. It signals both the depth of unmet need for affordable maternal diagnostics in rural and peri urban Ghana and the growing recognition of the programme among the communities it serves.
Nurse Manager of the Kasseh Health Centre, Coleman Adator, said many of the women had previously been unable to access ultrasound services because of cost and the absence of scanning equipment at the local public facility. He noted that the exercise would encourage consistent attendance at antenatal services and help midwives track pregnancies more accurately, ultimately improving maternal health outcomes across the district.
Health officers used the day to deliver pregnancy tailored nutrition guidance, covering dietary needs, the importance of iron and folate supplementation, and key warning signs that expectant mothers should watch for. Every beneficiary left with a formal scan report for subsequent antenatal appointments and a gift package from the Foundation.
Amanda Sewu, a 24 year old beneficiary now eight months pregnant, said she had previously paid out of pocket for two private ultrasound scans before running out of funds, and was grateful for the financial relief the outreach provided. Another expectant mother, Sandra Agyemang Yeboah, praised both the quality of care and the warmth shown by the medical team throughout the day, adding that the nutrition guidance she received would shape how she manages the remainder of her pregnancy.
Head of Foundation, Sustainability and External Communications at Telecel Ghana, Rita Agyeiwaa Rockson, said the initiative is aimed at reducing maternal mortality from preventable causes that can be detected early through routine scanning. “Rural Ultrasound is tackling the risks to maternal health by reaching more communities,” she said, adding that some of the women screened in Kasseh had received referrals likely to save their lives and those of their babies.
The Rural Ultrasound programme is delivered in partnership with the Divine Mother and Child (DMAC) Foundation and forms part of the Telecel Foundation’s Connected Health pillar, alongside the Healthfest medical screening series. By deploying qualified health professionals and diagnostic equipment to community level facilities, the initiative removes the twin barriers of cost and distance that keep many rural women away from essential antenatal care. The programme has previously visited communities across the North East, Upper East, Upper West, Eastern, Savannah and Northern regions.
The intervention aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.1, which calls for the global maternal mortality ratio to fall below 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030. Ghana has made measurable progress against that target in recent years, but maternal health outcomes in rural districts continue to lag urban averages, a gap that initiatives such as Telecel Foundation’s are designed to narrow. The Foundation has indicated that the programme will continue to expand its coverage across underserved communities nationwide.
For the more than 300 women who walked, took shared taxis or arrived on the back of motorcycles in the rain at Kasseh, the outreach delivered something private clinics had priced out of reach: a clear scan, a written report, a moment of certainty about the life they are carrying. In a district where many pregnancies still proceed without a single ultrasound, that is more than charity. It is healthcare equity, one community at a time.
