Koforidua, Sept. 10, GNA - The media has been challenged to help change negative perception and attitude of some people about pregnancy and child-bearing, to reduce maternal and infant mortality in Ghana.

Dr Larbi Addo, the acting Eastern Regional Director of Health Services, who made the call, expressed worry that despite awareness created about safe motherhood, pregnancy, child-bearing and caring, society still held wrong perceptions about pregnant women.

He stressed that the media should spend less time on political issues and focus more on pregnancy and child bearing matters to ensure human survival.

Dr Addo was opening a day’s workshop on maternal morbidity and mortality in Koforidua on Thursday, organised for selected journalists in the Region.

He said myths on pregnancy, which had gained grounds over the years, were contributing to maternal deaths.

Dr Addo cited that even though the swelling of pregnant women’s feet indicated a serious medical condition, some people misconstrued this to mean that such women were pregnant with baby boys.

He said the campaign to reduce maternal mortality was a shared responsibility and asked the media to support the health sector in educating the public on the subject.

Dr Addo said Ghana currently, recorded 350 deaths per every 100,000 live births but the target per the Millennium Development Goals was for the country to achieve 185 deaths per every 100,000 births by the year 2015.

The Director of Family Health, Dr Gloria Quansah Asare, and Dr Patrick Aboagye, Deputy Director of Reproductive and Child Health of the Ghana Health Service took the participants through health-related topics.

These included policies of the Ghana Health Service on safe motherhood, comprehensive abortion care and overview of the maternal health program.