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Health News of Friday, 28 November 2014

Source: GNA

Skilled delivery increasing in Volta Region

There is a steady progression in the number of skilled delivery recorded in the Volta Region in the past four years.

The region recorded 57.4 per cent skilled delivery in 2013, as against 47 per cent in 2012, with 43.1 and 38.8 per cent in 2011 and 2010 respectively.

This had almost a corresponding reduction effect on maternal mortality cases with 72 maternal deaths recorded in 2013, 87 in 2011 and 82 in 2010.

Mr Divine Akie, Programmes Assistant, Millennium Accelerated Framework (MAF) to achieve Millennium Development Goal Four and Five, attributed the feat to the increasing number of practising midwives in region.

Mr Akie who was addressing a forum on Data Journalism for Improved Maternal Healthcare, organised by Penplusbyte in Hohoe, said the number of practising midwives in the region had moved up from 314 in 2013, to 446 in 2014, though still among the lowest nationwide.

He said the figure was 337 in 2010, but declined to 320 in 2011, and further went down to 301 in 2012.

The region recorded 35 non-practising midwives in 2014, as against 29 in 2013, 49 in 2012, 62 in 2011 and 57 in 2010.

A cursory observation shows that though there is no direct correlation between the increasing number of practising midwives and the number of maternal deaths, there appears to be a positive trend from 2012, with significant improvement in numbers of skilled delivery in the region.

Health experts at the forum believed that more skilled delivery could further reduce the number of maternal deaths in the region.