The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) a faith based NGO has developed a programme aimed at helping to solve maternal and infant mortality in the East Mamprusi district of the Northern Region.

The Encouraging Positive Practices for Improving Child Survival (EPPICS) project is targeting more than 51 direct beneficiaries being women of reproductive age and children under five years who are being supported to live healthy lives.

Mr Ane Adondiwo, EPPICS project manager addressing participants at a CRS Ghana Country Event in Tamale said the project has helped reduce maternal and infant mortalities in the district.

He said the project had contributed in sustainable reduction of child and morbidity and mortality since families had increased access to quality maternal and neonatal services, which had also seen a reduction in malaria cases.

“Maternal and newborn care has increased by 60 per cent in terms of nutrition while malaria cases had decreased by 30 per cent,” he said.

He said facility based strategies included the quality improvement training and training on emergency obstetric care as well as setting up of healthy mothers and newborns committee, pregnancy surveillance and child care education and positioning traditional birth attendants as link providers.

He said CRS had also provided motor-tricycles as community emergency transport for conveying pregnancy women from the remote communities to the nearest health facility, which had contributed in the reduction in maternal mortality.

Mr Adondiwo expressed worry about the lack of midwives in the district and the high staff attrition and appealed to other NGOs and the government to help find lasting solution to the problems.

He said slow expansion in physical infrastructure, poor communication and road networks as well as limited access of drinking water is a major concern that needs urgent attention.

Madam Lisa Washington-Sow, Country Representative of CRS would continue to help address bottlenecks in access to quality healthcare, as well as improve nutrition and malaria prevention at rural communities.

She said CRS also works to scale up effective community mobilisation strategies and uses healthy mother and newborn care committees to address the attitudes, practices and behaviours that reduce uptake of maternal and newborn care services.