Health facilities in the Nadowli District of the Upper West Region recorded no maternal deaths in the year 2012.

They also recorded decreases in still births and low birth weight from 17 cases in 2011 to 11 cases in 2012 and from 165 cases in 2011 to 132 cases in 2012 respectively.

Increases in institutional deliveries rose from 2,042 in 2011 to 2,179 in 2012 and ANC Registration from 2,891 in 2011 to 3,112 in 2012.

Madam Florence Ansongmwini, the Nadowli District Director of Health Services, said this during the district’s annual health performance review in Nadowli on Thursday.

She said the district also recorded decreases in postnatal care and family planning from 2,473 in 2011 to 2,421 in 2012 and 10,310 in 2011 to 10,094 in 2012 respectively.

Madam Ansongmwini said this was made possible because of the Millennium Accelerated framework strategy and also the CHPS concept which was aimed at increasing access to health service delivery.

The District Director of Health Services said there was significant increase in most of the service indicators for 2012 due to the enormous support they received from collaborators and partners such as JICA, World Vision, AGAMAL and the Assembly among others.

Madam Ansongmwini also commended all stakeholders and the health staff in the district for their commitment and collaboration towards duty.

She said their efforts by making available various incentives such as provision of mackintosh for pregnant women who reported to a facility within the first trimester of pregnancy, a bar of soap for Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs)/Volunteers for either referring or bringing a pregnant woman to deliver at a health facility, had helped the entire district.

She said equally conducting pregnancy classes for husbands, mother-in-laws and others, providing roasted groundnuts for ANC mothers, bathing of babies before discharge after delivery and provision of second hand clothes to women who delivered in health facilities had also greatly helped the effort.

Madam Ansongmwini said inadequate staffing, lack of water and electricity in some health facilities, lack of Community Emergency Referral Transport System, inadequate residential and office accommodation and poor community participation among others as some of the challenges of the health sector in the district.

Mr Abu Kansangbata, the Nadowli District Chief Executive (DCE), commended the health staff in the district for working hard to reduce maternal deaths to zero in the year under review.

He said the Government’s Rural Health Development Strategy was aimed at achieving good health for all within the shortest possible time adding that it would enhance productive capacities and promote greater equity for better social and economic conditions in the country particularly in the rural areas.

Mr Kansangbata urged the health directorate to use the review to come out with plans that would provide the bedrock for an effective and efficient health service delivery system.