Tepa (Ash), Feb 15, GNA - The Ahafo-Ano North district health directorate has held its annual performance review meeting to discuss its achievements, constraints and challenges in health delivery in the district.

Mrs Elizabeth Danso Adentwi, the District Health Director, in her presentation said the district hospital at Tepa recorded no maternal death last year and attributed this to the hard work of the medical team and the frequent sensitisation of pregnant women on the importance of antenatal clinic.

She said the district recorded 140 buruli ulcer cases last year and described it as a major problem and to arrest the situation, two medical doctors and some theatre nurses were given surgical training on the disease at Saint Martin's Hospital at Agroyesum and are actively helping in the management of the disease.

She said some health workers, community based surveillance volunteers, traditional birth attendants, school health teachers and circuit supervisors, chemical sellers, traditional healers and day care attendants have been sensitised on the disease to report early suspected cases for treatment.

Dr Felix Osei Sarpong, a medical doctor at the Tepa district hospital, mentioned septicemia, severe malaria, HIV/AIDS, severe anaemia and pneumonia as the top five causes of deaths in the district and cautioned the people to visit the hospital regularly and take good care of themselves and their environment in order to prevent such diseases. He mentioned lack of residential accommodation, laboratory and x'ray technicians, hospital beds, ambulance, motorbikes, ultra sound machine and telephone facilities as the pressing needs of the hospital and appealed to the district assembly, traditional authorities, non-governmental organisations and individuals to come to the aid of the hospital.

In an address read for him, Mr Akwasi Adu-Poku, the acting District Chief Executive urged the district health service directorate, heads of departments, churches and assembly members to support the District Health Insurance Scheme to make it successful.

He revealed that about 95 per cent of the people in the district are aware of the existence and the negative effect of the HIV/AIDS pandemic but said the knowledge is not being translated to behavioural change, making the disease becoming not only a health problem but also developmental issue.

He said the implementation of the exemptions policy on maternal deliveries would take effect throughout the country from March this year.