Tema, Dec 22, GNA - A total of 30 out of 3,700 pregnant women who delivered at the Tema General Hospital from the beginning of the year died.

The deaths were the result of criminal abortions, unsafe abortions, anaemia and unforeseen circumstances with most of the victims coming from Ashaiman and Tema Manhean.

Dr Sylvia Deganus, Gynaecologist/Obstetrician, was speaking to newsmen at the weekend after the launching of the Safe Motherhood Week, at Ashaiman.

She said referral cases from other clinics, hospitals and agencies also contributed to the deaths because they decided to rush the patients to the hospital too late.

Dr Deganus advised that as a matter of urgency, all clinics and hospitals must have basic facilities like ambulance and telephones "because time is a factor in deliveries as a minute wasted means a lot to the life of an expectant mother".

She cited the case of a pregnant mother who could not afford to pay the 5,000 cedis fare from her home to the hospital and died as a result.

Fifteen mothers who delivered are still at the hospital because they cannot afford to pay their hospital bills of between 1.2 million cedis and 1.5 million cedis each, she said. 22 Dec 03