Health official expresses concern about high maternal deaths

Kranka (B/A), Nov. 24, GNA - Mr Richard Hinneh, Nkoranza District Director of Health Services (DDHS), on Monday expressed concern about the high rate of maternal deaths prevalent in developing countries including Ghana.

He cited that between January and June this year, nine pregnant women in the district died during delivery.

Mr Richard Hinneh was speaking at the launch of safe motherhood campaign programme for the district, under the auspices of the District Health Management Team (DHMT) at Krankan.

The programme, organised on the theme: "Death Due to Pregnancy and Child Bearing are Preventable, Act Now", was aimed at sensitizing pregnant women on the need to seek antenatal care to prevent maternal and infant mortality.

Mr Hinneh announced that about 140 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) had been trained to complement the work of midwives in the area, in preventing maternal and infant mortality. He urged nurses to show love, affection and care for patients, particularly expectant mothers to encourage them to regularly visit the hospital.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Kwame Ampofo-Twumasi advised husbands to pay attention to the health of their wives, especially when they are pregnant to avoid maternal and infant deaths. He also advised married couples to practise family planning, so that they would give birth to the number of children they could care for.

Mr Ampofo-Twumasi warned women against criminal abortion and said it was a major cause of ill-health and barrenness.

He asked the youth to avoid pre-marital sex to prevent teenage pregnancy and the spread of HIV/AIDS and reminded the public that the disease was real and that no known cure had been found to it yet. The DCE appealed to the people to embrace the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for better health care delivery.

Miss Patricia Konadu, Assemblywoman for the area, commended the DHMT for launching the programme and appealed to the people to support the exercise to save the lives of expectant mothers and babies. Mr Philip Kwabena Kyermeh, an educationist in the district, urged the people to assist health personnel to promote health in the area. Earlier in the day, Madam Monica Oppong, in-charge of the Kranka community clinic, led a route march of school children and TBAs through the principal streets of Kranka.

They carried placards some of which read, "Safe Motherhood, Healthy Babies," Practice Family Planning", "Unsafe Abortion Kills" and "When You Bleed During Pregnancy go to the Hospital".