Upper East records 16 maternal deaths

Miss Olivia Achuliba, Deputy Director of Nursing Services in charge of Public Health in the Upper East Region, on Wednesday disclosed that the Region recorded 16 maternal deaths between January and June this year.

In the same period in 2014, the region recorded 22 of such cases and by the end of the year the cases had risen to 47, she stated.

Miss Achuliba made the disclosure at a two-day training on effective maternal health service delivery for opinion leaders at the community level held in Bolgatanga.

She said even though there was a slight decrease of six maternal deaths this year, the figure was still a cause for concern by World Health Organisation standards.

Miss Achuliba indicated that the trend was alarming because in 2013 maternal death cases recorded were 34, whilst in 2012 the figure was 38, and said it required concerted efforts by all stakeholders to help change the trend.

According to the Director, 37 cases were also recorded in 2011, and 34 in 2010. He stated that the trend stemmed from the fact that people reported late to health facilities while some pregnant women failed to visit health facilities for antenatal services.

She also indicated that CHPS compounds were readily available in the local communities to offer community members the needed services.

Miss Rachel Gyabaah, Regional Coordinator of SEND Ghana, said the training aimed to improve obstetric care, family planning services and skills delivery in communities as ways to improve maternal health and increase targets as part of measures to achieve the Millennium Development Goal-five (MDG 5) which ends in October 2015.

She said the group would provide education in all facets of the community including churches, mosques, market places and other social gatherings.

She noted that most women did not attend hospitals, while some pregnant women also did not patronize antennal services due to cultural beliefs and ignorance, and said the situation had contributed to low patronage of health facilities providing such services in communities.

The Queen mother of Tanga Traditional Area in the Bawku West District, Madam Beatrice Awunnort Akpandaa, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency pledged to use non-market days in her area to educate people on maternal health and the need for women to attend antenatal service.

She urged men to support their wives during pregnancy and said as a community champion, she would promote good hygiene and exclusive breastfeeding among lactating mothers in the area.

She expressed dissatisfaction about negative behavior of some health workers which according to her, deterred some women to use health facilities in the communities.

The queen Champion urged health workers to eschew unnecessary charges for their services that culminate in undue delays in attending to pregnant women who use health facilities.

Such illegal charges could also deter women from seeking antenatal services, she added.

About 21 participants drawn from seven districts in the Region including a chief and queenmother attended the training.

The two-day session was organized by SEND Ghana in collaboration with Christian Aid and funded by the European Union.