The Birim Central Municipal Health Management Team (MHMT) in the Eastern Region, has held its performance review session for 2011, with an appeal for administrative and medical equipment, to ensure quality health care for the people.

Ms Anastasia Atiogbe, the Municipal Director of Health Service (MDHS), made the appeal through the GNA after the annual review programme at the municipal assembly hall at Akim Oda.

The performance review hearing, sought to assess the trend of activities carried out during the period under review and to enable hospitals and institutions, unit and departmental heads, clinics and CHNTS from the seven sub-municipalities and stakeholders to offer comments, observations and suggestions, as part of strategies to address health issues in the entire municipality.

Ms Atiogbe said there was the need for holistic strategy to address the administrative and medical problems in the municipality and urged stakeholders to make a concerted effort to help tackle the persistent problem of access to health service, since the government alone cannot afford.

She appealed to the health ministry to endeavour to supply equipment to augment the work of the MHMT and the Akim Oda Government Hospital adding that photocopying machines, computers and printers for data management were needed.

She said other things needed include, weighing scales, blood pressure apparatus for infants and adults and delivery set, adding that such equipment would help intensify outreach programmes, increase immunization coverage and other activities.

The MDHS announced that there were 4,241 deliveries out of which 3,983 was done through skilled deliveries, while 137 was done through unskilled deliveries, saying, there were 39 fresh still births, 83 macerated still births and nine maternal deaths.

Ms Atiogbe said in 2011 the Akim Oda Government Hospital recorded 121 cases of anaemia among infants of 11 months which three died, 122 cases of the disease among 12 – 23 months which four died and 200 cases among 24 – 54 months old which 11 of them died.

She said though a lot had been achieved, there was the need to remove bottlenecks surrounding the deaths of mother and child during births, and that maternal and child deaths were not out of control, as the health authorities were making frantic efforts to contain it.

“The municipality and its environs have a bright future in health and development, since the health of children over the years had shown considerable improvement”, she stressed.

Mr Yaw Asante-Anyimadu, Municipal Nutrition Officer, said his outfit will implement policies and services that will impact effectively and efficiently on the nutritional status of the people living in the municipality, adding that this effort is being hampered by the existence of only one nutrition officer in the municipality.