The Pru East and Pru West Districts of the Bono East Region recorded sixty-eight stillbirths in 2018 due to lack of incubators, statistics from the District Directorate of Health has revealed.

Nine cases of maternal deaths were also recorded in 2017, and health officials attributed the deaths to lack of motorbikes for health personnel to undertake outreach programmes in hard-to-reach communities.

That notwithstanding, the directorate achieve 92 per cent coverage under the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) due to committed and selfless services by health officials in the districts.

Interacting with Mr Augustine Collins Ntim, a Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development at Yeji, during a visit to the area, Madam Della Kpodo, the Pru East District Director of Health, said it had been difficult to cross over the Volta Lake and reach out to the about 64 communities.

She said the St Matthias Hospital had only one incubator, and appealed to philanthropic organisations, individuals and corporate bodies to come to their aid.

Madam Kpodo who has oversight responsibility for the Pru West District appealed to pregnant women to check their eating habit and attend regular antenatal clinics to save their lives and their unborn babies.

Mr Ntim who is the Deputy Minister-in-charge of Rural Economic Development and Agriculture directed the Pru District Assembly to procure two motorbikes for the health directorate to enable it to intensify outreach programmes.

He described cases of stillbirths and maternal deaths in the two districts as alarming, unfortunate and unacceptable and tasked the directorate to collaborate with all stakeholders and do more to bring the situation under control.

Mr Joshua Kwaku Abonkrah, the Pru District Chief Executive, stressed the Assembly’s readiness and commitment to improve on health infrastructure and appealed to health personnel to accept postings to serve in the two districts.