Some 15 per cent of pregnant women develop complications

Accra, 28 July GNA - Mr. Patrick Aboagye, the Deputy Director for Reproductive and Child Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has said about 15 percent of pregnant women develop complications as a result of direct obstetric complications that could be treated.

He said this when he briefed the media on progress made so far in the countrywide emergency obstetric newborn assessment exercise.

The exercise is to generate information that would be used as a basis to strengthen the health system in order to reduce maternal newborn mortality as well as to help allocate resources to regions and districts to ensure more focus and prioritization.

Mr Aboagye said the main areas of the assessment would focus on the identification of facilities and infrastructure, human resources, essential drugs, equipment, supplies and facility case summary.

He said strengthening the health system would require adequate skilled attendance during child birth as well as the provision of a referral system coupled with community participation throughout the country.

The assessment, which covers about 1, 200 health facilities in all the regions including private and public health institutions, had already been done in the Upper East Region.