Ashanti: 678 Births Recorded In 2014

The incidence of maternal deaths and stillbirths reduced in the Kumasi metropolis last year.

 A number of causes have been identified to be responsible for the recorded cases of both the maternal deaths and stillbirths, with hypertension-related illnesses, bleeding, abortion, and HIV/AIDS accounting for most of the maternal deaths. These came to light at a meeting of key actors in the Kumasi Metropolitan Health Directorate to review the performance of the directorate in 2014 and also strategise on how to improve on healthcare delivery this year. Improved maternal and child health were among the priority areas of the Kumasi Metropolitan Health Directorate in 2014. 

However, certain factors undermined their performance. For instance, the number of expectant women who attended antenatal clinic reduced from 25,103 to 4,726 last year. 

Out of this number, 33,469 delivered at health facilities as against the 38,662 pregnant women who had supervised delivery the previous year. 

The number of mothers who lost their lives through childbirth reduced from 137 in 2013 to 121 last year.

The incidence of stillbirths also reduced from 692 in 2013 to 678 last year. The Kumasi Metropolitan Health Information Officer, Sarah Fordah, who made a presentation on the actual performance of the directorate, identified hypertension-related illnesses, bleeding, abortions, and HIV/AIDS as the top four causes of maternal deaths during the year. According to the data, 55 new cervical problems were detected last year while new cases of HIV in pregnant women decreased from 401 in 2013 to 339 in 2014.