Tamale, Feb.12, GNA - For every 100 live births recorded in health facilities in the Northern Region, between 200 and 300 women die as a result of either delays in decision-taking or inadequate facilities in the hospitals, Dr Kyei Fareid, Deputy Regional Director of Health in charge of Public Health, has said.

Speaking at a one-day sensitisation meeting on: "Saving mothers' lives" in Tamale on Monday, Dr Fareid said last year alone, the region recorded 91 maternal deaths with the Tamale Metropolis topping the list with 40 deaths.

According to him, West Mamprusi District recorded 15 deaths; East Gonja District had eight deaths while Nanumba North District recorded six deaths. The Bole and Saboba Districts registered five deaths each, East Mamprusi and Savelugu/Nanton Districts had two deaths each while Central Gonja District recorded one death.

The Regional Health Directorate organised the forum for journalists to equip them with the relevant information on safe motherhood with the view to enhancing their reportage on saving mothers' lives.

The forum was also to solicit the support of the media in implementing the saving mothers' lives programme by way of informing, educating and communicating relevant issues to the public. It was also to bring to the fore challenges facing expectant mothers in the region. Dr Fareid attributed some of the causes of maternal deaths to delays by families in arriving at a decision as to whether to consult fetish priests or to send the pregnant women to the hospital. Other factors, he said, were the unavailability of transport in the rural areas to convey the pregnant women to the nearest health facility and the delay in giving them prompt attention when they eventually reached the hospital.

Dr Fareid called for a holistic approach to addressing the problem of maternal deaths, saying this should start from the individual, the society, transport owners, the media and personnel of the health service.

He said the National Health Insurance Scheme was the best health policy introduced to solve the health problems of the people, especially the rural poor and appealed to them to register with the scheme to access affordable health care.

"The NHIS is about mobilising resources from the rich to benefit the poor; it is financing health for the people and not for the promotion of the agenda of any political party", he said. Alhaji Abdul-Rahaman Yakubu, the Regional Health Promoter, warned pregnant women against taking herbal concoctions to induce labour saying it was dangerous to their health.

He stressed the need to discard certain cultural practices, which militate against the well being of pregnant women.

He also deplored the practice whereby pregnant women only register to collect cards but fail to attend antenatal clinics for regular check ups on their pregnancies.

Alhaji Yakubu commended the media in the region for highlighting the health problems facing the people, as well as problems that confront health personnel in the discharge of their duties. He urged media practitioners to continue to collaborate with the Regional Health Directorate as partners in development to help address the health needs of the people.