Bosomtwe health directorate tackles maternal mortality
The Bosomtwe Health Directorate in the Ashanti Region is mapping out strategies to curb the incidence of maternal death.
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At the 2016 Annual Performance Review meeting of the directorate at Kokoado near Lake Bosomtwe, the District Director of Health Services, Mr Bernard Bediako, said the directorate recorded one maternal death in the year 2015 and the number increased in 2016.
He said that called for measures to be put in place to curb the menace, and to avoid maternal deaths in the coming years.
Some of the strategies he mentioned were capacity building, training programmes, logistics acquisition and monitoring.
“Unfortunately, we recorded four maternal deaths, and frantic efforts and preventive measures are being put in place to avoid such deaths this year and in the years ahead. These include capacity-building training, logistics acquisition and monitoring,” he stated.
Mr Bediako said while pregnant women needed to adhere to regular medical check-ups at health facilities, health personnel would need to be provided with the necessary logistics and training to take care of expectant mothers.
On the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), he said the directorate had targeted 4,337, aged zero to 11 months for immunisation, to help protect many babies as possible against diseases.
Lack of funding and vehicles
The health director expressed worry that the directorate lacked adequate funds and vehicles to support monitoring and supervision of operations of the various health facilities in the area.
Other challenges he named included the delay in reimbursement of insurance claims by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), saying that over nine months’ claims had not been reimbursed.
He expressed the appreciation of the directorate to the district assembly for refurbishing the district health directorate block.
He added that the assembly had helped in the provision of logistics, including the building of a CHPS compound at Adwumam worth GH¢25,000.00.
He also thanked the immediate-past Member of Parliament (MP) for the area who is also the Ashanti Regional Minister designate, Mr Simon Osei Mensah, for supporting the construction of nurses’ quarters for the Bosomtwe District Hospital.
He commended the Ashanti Regional Health Director, Dr Alexi Nan-Beifubah, for his contribution towards the progress of activities at the district health directorate.