Bongo (U/E), Aug 20, GNA - Maternal mortality in the Bongo District has reduced and ante-natal attendance by pregnant women increased in the past year, the District Director of Ghana Health Services, Miss Rufina Asuru, said on Thursday.

She said this at a mid year review meeting of the District Assembly held in Bongo.

Miss Asuru said unlike the past years, pregnant women in the area were conscious and anxious to visit ante-natal facilities to prepare themselves for safe delivery.

This has helped to reduce the maternal mortality rate in the area.

She said the high turn out of pregnant women at ante-natal facilities was due to education programmes carried out by her outfit and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Giving the statistics of the antenatal coverage of the District, she said the District in 2008 recorded 1,935 ante-natal coverage representing 57.1 per cent, 2009, 1,488 representing 43.3 percent and as at the first and second quarters of 2010 recorded 1,412 representing 40.6 percent.

Miss Asuru said health facilities in the District recorded no maternal mortality in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Alhaji Musbaau Ahmed, the District Director of Agriculture, said his directorate had established block farming of 60 hectares of rice at Zorko-Kanga, 60 hectares of soya bean at Adabei and 60 hectares of soya beans at Akutabongo.

He said under the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), farmers in the district were doing 60 hectares each of maize, soya, beans and soya beans.

On irrigation, he said there had been some level of manual de-silting and clearing of canals and laterals on dams and dug-outs, adding that the canals needed de-silting by an excavator and relining as well as the laterals.

The Bongo District Planning Officer, Mr Damma Mumuni, said Bongo Assembly had been able to achieve progress in health, agriculture and water and sanitation through the review of performance of activities in the District.

He said the District had also seen progress in terms of local economic activities like building the capacity of small scale enterprises in sheabuter processing, basket weaving and guinea fowl rearing.