Begoro, Jan. 14, GNA - The Fanteakwa District Hospital at Begoro in the Eastern Region, recorded no maternal death during its first year in operation last year.

The District Director of Health Services, Dr Frederick Kwame Ofosu, who announced this, attributed the achievement to the high rate of awareness created on anaemia control among pregnant women during antenatal care clinics.

Dr Ofosu was speaking at a one-day workshop on anaemia control in pregnant women and children under five years for health workers, queenmothers, Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and community-based Health Surveillance Volunteers at Begoro in the Fanteakwa District on Wednesday.

The workshop was organized by the Anaemia Control Programme (ACP) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to equip the 80 participants with the skills to educate the public on the need to eat balanced diet. Dr Ofosu commended the Health Surveillance Volunteers, TBAs and Sub-district Health Centres for making instant referrals of anaemia-related pregnant women to the Hospital since its establishment in December 2003.

He called for a change in behaviour among pregnant women who attached the eating of some diet to superstition and asked such women to stop deliveries at home instead of reporting to the hospital. The National Co-ordinator of the ACP, Mrs Kate Quarshie, asked nursing mothers to continue taking antenatal drugs six weeks after delivery to maintain good health.

She urged husbands not only to impress on their wives to attend antenatal clinics but also to accompany them to the clinics to receive proper counselling from nurses.

The Eastern Regional Nutrition Officer, Mr Bismark Sarkodie, said anaemia infection caused ill health and poor academic performance in children at school.

He called for exclusive breastfeeding of babies for six months after delivery to prevent them from contracting anaemia and other related diseases.

Mr Sarkodie asked mothers to desist from feeding their children with canned or bottled fruit juice sold on the market since, according to him, such juice contained chemicals that could affect the health of their children.

The Eastern Regional Health Promotion Officer, Mr Bechesani Demuyakor, asked pregnant women to eschew self-medication but report to hospitals regularly, even if they were not sick and advised them to ensure good personal hygiene at home.

The participants asked nurses at antenatal clinics to have patience for pregnant mothers who attend the clinics.