Malaria related deaths reduce significantly in Mfantseman

Saltpond (C/R), Jan. 27, – Malaria related deaths in the Mfantseman Municipality reduced significantly from 22 in 2016 to two in 2017 due to improved case management, the Municipal Health Directorate has said.

The period also saw a reduction in institutional under-five deaths from 31 in 2016 to 19 in 2017 while teenage pregnancy rate also reduced marginally from 15 per cent in 2016 to 13 per cent in 2017.

Ms. Georgina Graham-Hayfron, the Municipal Health Director, said the feat was despite the fact that malaria continued to be the course of illness in the Municipality with 20 per cent of all cases being laboratory confirmed.

Ms Graham-Hayfron was addressing the 2017 Annual Performance Review Meeting of the Directorate at Saltpond on Friday.

She said Out Patient Department (OPD) cases reduced from 13,755 in 2016 to 11,099 in 2017.

She said malaria still topped cases reported at the OPD with 30,039 cases followed by Upper Respiratory Tract infections, skin diseases and diarrhoea respectively.

She said the Directorate recorded 94 still births in 2017 as against 92 in 2016 and six cases of maternal deaths compared to the five recorded in 2016.

Ms. Graham-Hayfron implored all stakeholders to support the Directorate’s rigorous ongoing activities in HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the diseases.

She said delays in the release of funds by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to the health facilities remained the biggest challenge of the Directorate.

She disclosed that the NHIA owed some health facilities in the Municipality GH₵851,362.78 with the highest debt owed to the Mankessim Sub Municipal.

High institutional maternal mortality (150 per 100,000 live births), high still birth rate (22 per 1000 live births), inadequate midwives, nurses and doctors and delay in seeking health care by community members, especially pregnant women, were among the problems facing the Directorate.

Ms Graham-Hayfron said the Directorate hoped to reduce institutional maternal mortality from 150 per 100,000 to 50 per 100,000 live births by the end of 2018 through improved services and stakeholder engagement.

GNA