From Lydia Asamoah, GNA Special Correspondent in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, (Ethiopia), Oct. 27, GNA - Ms Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has commended Ghana for introducing the free maternal health care delivery programme as a way to control the high maternal mortality rate in the country.

She said it was a good thing for Ghana to have embarked on such a laudable programme in her efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG5), which aimed at improving maternal health.

"This means if the programme is well sustained, all pregnant women, right at the community level would have access to free maternal health care, thus preventing a woman from dying from childbirth. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Addis Ababa Ethiopia at the on-going 4Th International Parliamentarians Conference on implementation of International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) programme of action, Ms Obaid said it was a well-known fact that many countries could not meet the MDG5 by 2015.

"But we want to push them to do something to check the high mortality rate, especially in developing countries," she said.

She explained that every year more than 500,000 females die from pregnancy-related causes, amounting to one death every minute of the day with almost all of such deaths occurring in developing countries. "That is why we are pushing everybody to do something about the situation to save lives of women who are the weavers of society". Maternal health care must be available, accessible and of high quality. Failure to provide such care is a violation of women's rights to life, health, equality and non-discrimination" she added. 27 Oct. 09