Maternal deaths on the increase in Northern Region

Tamale, June 4, GNA- The Northern Region recorded 115 maternal deaths in 2007 as compared to 92 in 2006. There is also lack of skill personnel to man the 178 health facilities including 16 hospitals available, especially doctors, technicians and midwives.

Dr. Akwasi Twumasi, Regional Director of Ghana Health Service made this known in Tamale during the inauguration of a private clinic provided by one Haj Adams, a retired health official to serve Tamale Metropolis.

"We have only 35 medical assistants in the Region instead of the required number of 232.We have a total of 297 midwives instead of 390. Out of this number 88 would be retiring in the next five years." Dr. Twumasi said out of the 817 general nurses needed only 251 were currently at post.

He noted that the inadequate number of midwives in the Region was likely to hamper the country's progress towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals.

He said out of the total of 49 doctors, 25 are members of the Cuban Medical Brigade, explaining that in general the Region was operating at staff strength of 36 per cent. Dr. Twumasi said the nutritional status of children under five years was also bad contributing to a high rate of stunted growth. Environmental sanitation is also a problem especially diarrhoea, which continu e to be among the 10 cause of Out-Patient Department attendance. He said in 2007 alone, a total of 40,339 diarrhoeal cases were recorded.

Typhoid fever is on the increase with its associated typhoid perforation and death. On a positive note, Dr. Twumasi said the region, which was a Guinea worm highly endemic area had recorded the lowest level in 2007. The Region recorded a total of 3,237 cases last year as compared to 3,679 in 2006.

As at April 2008, 215 cases had been recorded as against 2,417 in 2007, representing a reduction of about 91 per cent. "We need everybody on board to give the Guinea worm disease the last push," Dr. Twumasi said.