Lets reduce maternal mortality - First Lady

Ho, Dec. 9, GNA – The First Lady Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills on Friday called on Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders to increase efforts in mobilizing resources to accelerate the reduction in maternal mortality in Ghana.

“I am asking MCEs and DCEs in the Volta region to follow with more innovative ideas so that together we can save out women from dying while giving life”.

Mrs Naadu Mills made the call at the Volta Regional advocacy forum in Ho on the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA).

She said Ghana must be able to report a significant progress on all Millennium Development Goals MDGs particularly 4 and 5.

She said “I am here for policy dialogue, advocacy and community social mobilization to enlist political commitment and increased resources as well as societal change in support of maternal health”.

Mrs Naadu Mills said she looked forward to sharing the results of ‘this campaign” with her colleague First Ladies on CARMMA at their meeting in 2012 saying “I will showcase how we as a country decided to re-prioritise our domestic resources to save the lives of women”.

Dr Joseph Nuertey-Teye, Volta Regional Director of Health, said this year’s regional mid-year review of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) saw a slight improvement in maternal mortality rate in the region.

He said the region has a deficit of 100 Midwives and 140 Medical Assistants coupled with high exodus of health professionals.

Dr Nuertey-Teye said the Regional Health Directorate needed money to implement a plan to establish a Basic Midwifery School in the Northern part of the region and that incentives have been developed for Doctors and health professionals willing to work in the Northern part of the region.

The United Nations Systems Resident Co-ordinator, Ruby Sambhu Rojon, said the First Lady deserved commendation for her efforts to rally nationwide support to tackle the country’s maternal mortality problem.

She said a country’s development was tied to its rate of maternal mortality and that maternal health is not a goal but a human right which governments should work at achieving