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The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, has appealed to chiefs and traditional leaders to lead the crusade towards abolishing all obsolete and obnoxious traditional norms.

It believes most of the traditional norms and practices, especially those that are sharply against women's delivery in orthodox health facilities and registration of newborns with the Department of Births and Deaths have enormously reversed the clock of progress in the country.

Speaking at an Advocacy meeting in Bolgatanga of the Upper East Region, a Communications Officer for UNICEF, Mrs. Georgina Amidu, ascribes the continuous galloping of maternal mortality in the country, especially the northern part, to the entrenched position taken by most traditional believers against encouraging pregnant women to deliver in health facilities when they are in labour.

According to her, these traditional believers are still relying on Traditional Birth Attendants, TBAs, whose practices have no scientific proof, to assist the expectant women deliver when in labour.

Mrs. Amidu, however, explained the efficacy of the practice of TBAs was doubted because it had no empirical evidence, and also, "when the expectant mother is short of blood, the TBA does not know what blood transfusion is. If there is also a complication like over bleeding, the TBA cannot do anything about it. So, the new policy in Ghana advises that all deliveries should be done in hospitals and health facilities".

Delivering under the supervision of a Skilled Birth Attendant, Mrs. Amidu was hopeful, untenable deaths and maternal mortality would reduce to the barest minimum.

She also observed that, in the northern part of the nation, issues of open defecation were rampant, a phenomenon she said, was as a result of the societal norms against defecating in toilet facilities and household latrines.

She, thus, entreated traditional leaders and all stakeholders to concertedly pursue a relentless war against some offensive traditional practices which pose health hazards to the people.

The newly elect president for Upper East Regional House of Chiefs and Paramount Chief for Naaga Traditional Area, Naba Olando Awini, promised his outfit's resolve to stem the obnoxious traditional practices which were harmful to the development of the people, adding "We have to rise up to support the advocacy role of UNICEF to reduce the health issues facing the people in this region".

He challenged his colleagues not to sit down aloof as the 'killer' traditional norms were hampering the growth and development of communities in the region and the country as a whole, recommending bylaws be enacted in all communities to extensively deal with the issue regarding 'home deliveries'.