V/R Chiefs express concern about child delivery fees.

Ho, Apr. 27, GNA-Chiefs in the Volta Region on Thursday expressed astonishment by the revelation that childbirth delivery in the region had been free for the past one year.

They said pregnant women in most of their communities continue to pay various sums of money as charges by midwifery for their services at the health facilities.

The chiefs disclosed this during an open forum at a workshop organized by the regional health directorate for the chiefs on Tuberculosis and Safe Motherhood at Ho.

They said as a result, some of them have become " father Christmas" in their communities, they claim to provide financial assistance to pregnant women who can not afford delivery charges. They alleged that some of the maternity nurses in the communities sometimes demand items such as soap from women in labour. They therefore called on the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to carry out intensive education for the rural dwellers on the free childbirth policy of the government to ensure safe motherhood.

Dr MacDamien Dedzo, Medical Officer in-charge of Public Health Service in the region in response noted that the GHS was aware of such problems in some parts of the country.

He said notwithstanding such initial implementation problems of the policy, the government was committed to ensure its success, stressing that childbirth was totally free in all public health facilities in the country.

" All treatment, caesarian cases, complications and even the admission of pregnant women are for free", Dr Dedzo emphasized to the surprise of the chiefs.

He stated that the policy started in some part of the country in 2004 on pilot bases but took a national colour in 2005. Dr Dedzo in his address on safe motherhood noted that 72 women died in the Volta Region from childbirth at the hospitals last year, adding that most of the dead were those who never attended anti-natal clinic during pregnancy.

Dr Timothy Letsa, a Public Health Specialist who talked on Tuberculosis said the disease was now curable and treatment is for free. He noted that the major problem with the treatment of the disease was the refusal of patients to take the full course and called on the chiefs to, as a moral and national duty encourage patients to take the full course for complete treatment. Togbega Gabusu, President of the Regional House of Chiefs, in a remark urged the chiefs to be good apostles and carry the message to their subjects.

He was grateful to the government for making the treatment of Tuberculosis free and expressed the hope that with a good collaboration between the GHS and the traditional health practitioners, the country would soon get treatment for HIV/AIDS.