Health Minister lauds Britain's assistance to combat maternal mortality

Accra, April 6, GNA - Dr. George Yankey, Minister for Health on Monday lauded the British government's contribution to the fight against maternal and child mortality.

"Your contribution is helping in reducing infant mortality by one third and we are hoping that every community with 500 inhabitants will have a clinic to serve their health needs". Dr Yankey said this when Mr Nicholas Westcott, the British High Commissioner to Ghana in the company of Mike Hammond, Country Director DFID paid a courtesy call to deepen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

He noted that the ministry was committed to meeting the MDGs on health, "and this will help to reduce the current difficulties the ministry was facing".

Dr Yankey said about 45 per cent of the disease burden was malaria related which he noted was affecting the country's per capita income and GDP.

Mr Westcott noted his country's significant contribution in the areas of health, trade and development adding, "Although good progress had been made, we will continue to help Ghana achieve the MDGs". He said though the Credit Crunch was a global issue, resources would be harnessed to support Ghana in the area of malaria, which he said, "We providing over 1.38 million pounds this year for malaria control and prevention".