The director of human resource development Division of the ministry of health, Dr. Ken Sagoe has attributed the lack of permanent obstetric/gynaecology specialist in the Volta, upper east and upper west regions, as one of the major factors for the high maternal mortality in those three regions.

Dr. Sagoe said but for the support of Cuban specialists, the situation would have been worse, adding that Cuban medical officers in the country would soon begin their leave, while others would be leaving for home. Statistics indicate that an average of 241 out of 100,000 pregnant women in the country die annually. However, in some parts of the northern regions, particularly the upper west region, the ratio of maternal mortality is as high as 800 to 100,000 annually. This issue came up for discussion at a seminar in Accra on Wednesday on ?Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) Advocacy? organised for media practitioners.

?We have enough obstetric/gynaecology specialists but the distribution is not very good.? Dr. Sagoe said in response to a question on the adequacy of the specialists. He said there were about 30 obstetric/gynaecology specialists at Korle-Bu teaching hospital, one each at La Polyclinic, Ridge and Achimota hospitals, all in the Greater Accra region.