Sissala West District records no maternal death from January to August

Gwollu, UWR, Oct.03, GNA - The Sissala West District is the only district in the Upper West Region to record no maternal and neonatal death from January to August this year. The other districts that form the region posted a combined maternal deaths rate of 23 from January to August this year, Dr. Alexes Nang-Beifubah, Upper West Regional Director of Health said and described the situation as unfortunate and unacceptable. The Sisala West District has however recorded 25 deaths of children under five years, 22 babies weighing less than 2.5 kilogrammes and 52 malnutrition cases within the same period, Mr. Robert Baka Wavei, Sissala West District Chief Executive has announced. He said 119 teenage pregnancies and 260 births, as well as two Tuberculosis and 11 HIV/AIDS cases were also registered during the period.

Mr. Wavei made these known at the 2nd ordinary session of the Sissala West District Assembly at Gwollu. He announced that the assembly had allocated one per cent of its share of the common fund for HIV/AIDS and Malaria prevention activities and two percent for the activities of persons with disabilities. He said 20 persons with disabilities had been screened at the Regional Hospital in Wa and 18 of them received wheelchairs to facilitate their movement.

Mr. Wavei announced that the assembly had pledged one bag of sulphate of ammonia for any person or persons who would voluntarily report a case of tuberculosis to the health authorities in the district. He urged community members to report suspected cases of tuberculosis and other communicable diseases to health authorities to help reduce their spread in the area.

The District Chief Executive said the district assembly had planned to augment the community transport system by directing all heads of departments to quickly respond to calls of health workers to convey patients to the health centres.

Fuel had been reserved for that purpose and any head of department reported to have refused to help transport a sick person would be sanctioned under the "Operation save a life" programme. Mr. Wavei said district directors of health services had been charged under the programme to submit monthly reports on the movement of patients on government vehicles to justify fuel used for such purpose.