Health facilities in the Central Region had made significant strides in the reduction of maternal mortality as it recorded 61 maternal deaths in 2013 as against 64 and 74 in 2012 and 2011.
Dr. Samuel Kwashie, the Regional Director of Health Services, said even though the 2013 figure was possibly the lowest recorded nationwide, health facilities in the region should not be complacent until they have recorded a zero maternal mortality deaths.
He was addressing District Health Directors, Medical Officers, Administrators and Student Nurses from all 17 districts in the Region during the opening of the 2013 Central Regional Health Service Performance Review Conference in Cape Coast.
The three-day conference is on the theme ?Scaling up Maternal and Child Health best Practices to Achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5?.
To further bring the maternal mortality rate down and achieve the Millennium Development Goals four and Five, the Health Administration had made it a top priority to encourage Community Health Nurses and Enrolled Nurses to undertake the post-basic midwifery programme to replace the large number of aging and retiring midwives.
Consequently, 62 were given study leave with pay in 2012 and 82 in 2013 to enroll in the programme.
?If this positive trend continues, then in not too distant future, we hope to be able to deploy a significant number of trained midwives in our facilities?, he said.
Dr. Kwashie said teenage pregnancy was a source of great worry to the Administration because it kept escalating.
He said late-teen (15-19) pregnancies increased from 13,182 in 2012 to 13, 512 in 2013 whilst that of girls under 14year rose from 268 in 2012 to 491 in 2013.
He commended the region for a zero -reported case on cholera last year saying it showed great improvement, considering the 154 cases with eight deaths recorded in 2012.
On discipline, he said two accounts personnel and an executive officer had their appointment terminated for engaging in financial malpractices and warned health workers to desist from acts that would tarnish their reputation.
He promised to ensure that law-abiding and disciplined health workers were motivated and their safety ensured to enable them to deliver without any hindrances.
Dr. Kwashie commended the Winneba Municipal Hospital for their innovative steps in training 22 health workers including 17 nurses in sign language interpreters to make the facility disability friendly and for their involvement in the weekly in-service training programme that ensured continuous professional development for health staff.
The Central Regional Minister, Dr. Samuel Sarpong in a speech read on his behalf, commended the Health Administration for efforts that led to the reduction in maternal mortality as compared to the previous and urged them to do more to achieve a zero maternal health rate.
He said the government had put in place measures such as the rehabilitation of feeder roads, the construction of 50 Community Health Planning And Services (CHPS) compounds in the region to scale maternal mortality to its barest minimum.
Dr. Sarpong commended the Health Administration for initiatives such as the memorandum of understanding with the transport unions that had helped address the delays in the transportation of pregnant women in remote areas and called on all Metropolitan, Municipal, District Assemblies (MMDAs) to rise to the call and ensure that the initiative was implemented to the fullest. GNA
