Kumasi, July 5, GNA - Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, the Ashanti Regional Minister, has expressed

concern about the dwindling number of midwives in the region which, he said, was affecting antenatal

care and making it difficult to rein in maternal deaths. Ashanti Region recorded 176 maternal deaths in 2009, down from the previous year's total of

222. The midwife population is 418 with the midwife-patient ratio at 1:12,075. Mr Opoku-Manu told newsmen in Kumasi that the situation could be compounded as 26 of them

would retire by the close of the year. To help deal with this, the Regional Coordinating Council is setting up Maternal Health

Committees in all the 27 districts to monitor and quickly respond to maternal health issues. Additionally, it has stepped up efforts to resource the health facilities with equipment to

enhance health care delivery. Mr Opoku Manu gave the breakdown of diseases seen in the region last year with malaria at

the summit, recording 1,449,260 cases. There were 2,106 cases of tuberculosis, 3,718 HIV/AIDS infections, 3,051 cases of diabetes, 7,022

hypertension and two guinea worm cases.