Koforidua, Feb. 24, GNA - The Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua recorded a total of 41 maternal deaths last year, as against 36 recorded in 2009. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Koforidua on Thursday, Dr Anim Boamah, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Hospital, attributed the high rate of maternal deaths to high abortion related deaths, primary post partum hemorrhage, hypertensive diseases in pregnancy and ruptured uterus.

He gave the breakdown as abortion related deaths nine, primary post partum hemorrhage six, hypertension in pregnancy four, ruptured uterus four= , pre-natal infections four and HIV/AIDS related deaths three. The others included placental abruption two, cardiac failure two and Sickle cell disease two with anesthetic death, ectopic pregnancy, pulmonary embolism, obstructed labour and hypoglycaemia recording one death each. Dr Boamah attributed the reasons for those deaths to late referrals adding that documents of most of those referrals were either incomplete or had some vital information on them being omitted. "Last year, 27 out of 37 maternal mortality cases were referred late= ; some of them were incomplete referral letters or there had been omission of vital information," he said.

He also lamented that the department for instance saw five pregnant women being brought in dead to the hospital in the year. Dr Boamah said his outfit was going to work hard to reduce maternal mortality this year by working hand in hand with their referral hospitals b= y way of training and education.

"We are going to work hard together with our referral hospitals to reduce these deaths by conducting training in all districts on safe-motherhood protocols," he said.

Dr Boamah disclosed that in all 6,767 expectant mothers were admitted last year and a total of 4,516 deliveries were recorded. He explained that out of the 4,516 deliveries, live births totaled 4,470 whereas stillbirths were 179.

Dr Boamah indicated that the department would however work hard to eliminate stillbirths, especially, the intrapartum stillbirths through rigorous fetal heart rate monitoring during labour.