Brong Ahafo Region recorded a decline in the rate of maternal mortality from 94 in 2009 to 68 in 2010, Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang, acting Regional Director of Health Services, has said.
He said it was a very encouraging achievement and attributed it to the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to convey pregnant mothers from deprived areas to health centres.
Dr Tinkorang said other contributory factors for the reduction was the training of midwives in safe motherhood skills as well as the provision of emergency obstetric equipment through the High Impact Rapid Delivery approach.
He was addressing the opening of a two-day 2010 Performance Review Meeting of the Regional Health Service at Fiapre, near Sunyani.
Dr Tinkorang commended health staff in the region for their hard work, commitment and dedication to duty to help improve the health of the people.
He said Brong-Ahafo Region was gearing up towards its certification as free from guinea worm and stressed the need to strengthen surveillance at all levels, especially the community based surveillance system.
Dr Tinkorang said the region hoped to train community based surveillance volunteers and to provide them with community registers and monitor their activities as part of the key intervention for the guinea worm certification.
The region has started two post basic midwifery training schools to train community health officers to become midwives so they could help reduce unacceptable high maternal mortality.
He said during the year under review 400 motorbikes and 32 pick up vehicles were acquired to strengthen service delivery.