By Yussif Ibrahim
Kuntanase (Ash), Feb. 19, GNA – The Kuntanase Government Hospital in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti region, has not recorded any maternal death since 2020.
The number of stillbirths recorded at the facility has however, seen a rise from six cases in 2022 to 10 in 2023, with fresh stillbirths also increasing from two in 2022 to three in 2023.
These were contained in a presentation delivered by Dr. Harrison Ankrah Twumasi, the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, at the 2023 Annual District Health Performance Review meeting at Kuntanase.
The meeting, which provided a platform to take stock of health activities by the District Health Directorate and health facilities in the district was attended by stakeholders in health across the district.
Dr. Twumasi said despite the zero cases of maternal mortality in recent years, antenatal care registrants dropped from 825 in 2022 to 778, with the number of clients making four or more visits also declining from 682 to 676 within the period.
Pregnant women receiving Tetanus Toxoid Two (TT2) also saw a sharp reduction from 1202 in 2022 to 698 in 2023, according to the Medical Superintendent.
Another indicator that saw a downward trend was the number of family planning acceptors which reduced from 1292 to 713 within the period under review. Dr. Twumasi said the facility would step up identification of high-risk pregnant women and support them to deliver safely as part of best practices, going forward. They shall also embark on community screening on breast cancer, hypertension, diabetes and tuberculosis to ensure early detection and treatment.
Inadequate funds to carry out trainings, supervision and surveillance activities, he noted, were some of the challenges facing the facility.
Dr. Timothy Twumasi-Mensah, the District Director of Health Services, said the key priorities of the directorate was strengthening health information management system in the district and improve surveillance, epidemic preparedness and response.
He also spoke about strengthening public health infrastructure by investing in preventive health measures and health education initiatives.
The directorate, according to him, it would also embark on continuous monitoring and supervisory visits to all facilities in the district. to ensure service provision of up to standard.
The District Director thanked all stakeholders for their cooperation over the years and called for their continuous support in the directorate’s quest to make quality health accessible to everyone in the district.
GNA