Koforidua, Feb. 27, GNA - Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyirah, Eastern Regional Director of Health Services, on Tuesday said the region had recorded an increase in hypertension and diabetes cases. He said 107,701 new cases of hypertension were recorded last year as against 54,582 in 2006 while 54,582 diabetes cases were recorded in 2007 as against 23,567 in 2006.
Dr Appiah-Denkyirah announced this when addressing this year's Annual Performance Review Meeting of the Eastern Regional Sector of Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Koforidua.
He said still births in the region reduced slightly from 1,287 in 2006 to 1,247 last year while under five childhood deaths improved from 560 in 2006 to 486 last year.
Dr Appiah-Denkyirah noted that most of the childhood deaths occurred during deliveries or during early childhood especially within a month of delivery and said records available indicated that 70 per cent of deaths of children under five years in the region occurred within a month of delivery.
He said to help reduce childhood deaths and maternal mortality, the Eastern Regional Health Administration had decided that this year, all pregnant women should be visited at home and the family counselled on pregnancy and the plans for safe delivery, encourage pregnant women to eat well and sleep under treated mosquito nets.
Dr Appiah-Denkyirah said families of pregnant women would also be educated to be conversant with dangers associated with pregnancy and all deliveries either in a health facility or at home should be visited at home within 10 days of delivery to counsel the mother and family.
He said Community Health Nurses and Sub-District Midwives assisted by registered community agents would be required to conduct at least 30 home visits every month without fail.
Odeefuo Boadi Asiedu, Presiding Member of New Juaben Municipal Assembly, appealed to stakeholders in the oil industry to allocate substantial resources to the health sector. He noted that the health sector had been saddled with many problems that resources allocated to it were inadequate to solve them.
