The Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District Health Directorate on Wednesday awarded four drivers in the District for conveying women in labour to the hospitals and receiving their payments later.

The drivers, Mathew Donkor, Joseph Affram, Daniel Nikyi all from Beedum and Kwame Kwedom from Brakwa, were awarded with CD player systems, wall clocks and phones.

The drivers’ action was in line with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in October 2005 between the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and Central Regional Health Directorate.

Their charges are paid later to the GPRTU by the Regional Health Directorate.

This is to avoid the situation where pregnant women die during child birth at home as a result of lack of money for transport to take them to health facilities.

Speaking at the ceremony, the District Chief Executive, Madam Georgina Nkrumah Aboah, commended the drivers for their contribution to the collective effort in the reduction of maternal mortality in the District.

She also congratulated the GPRTU and the Ghana Health Service for signing the MOU to support the referral system during pregnancy and delivery.

She appealed to other drivers to emulate the sterling services of their colleagues to help achieve the zero maternal death target by the District Health Service.

Madam Aboah said, to ensure easy movement of people and goods, some feeder roads had been reshaped to enhance operations of the transport sector.

Ms Gertrude Mensah Aidoo, the District Public Health Nurse at the Hospital, said since 2009 the number of pregnant women transported free of charge to the hospital had been decreasing.

She appealed to taxi drivers not to relent in their efforts but should continue with the good work they were doing to help reduce maternal mortality.**