Awutu Beraku: The Awutu-Senya District Health Directorate saw significant improvement in most of its work indicators recording zero maternal deaths in 2023.

There were also reductions in still birth from seven in 2022 to one in 2023.

The District also recorded improvement in payments by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) on service rendered, surveillance activities, optimal growth for children under five years (number of stunted children about one per cent) and improved anti-retroviral therapy (ART) coverage.

Mrs Nancy Ekyem, the District Director of Health Services, made this known at the 2023 annual health performance review meeting at Awutu Beraku.

The meeting was on the theme: ‘Strengthening Reproductive and Child Health Services, with emphasis on maternal, new-born and Adolescent Health: A Joint Action by Stakeholders’.

Mrs Ekyem stated that it was the collective efforts of all stakeholders that resulted in the successes chalked but indicated that more needed to be done to improve on some a
reas such as low skilled delivery, unacceptable teenage pregnancy rate and anaemia at 36 weeks of pregnancy.

Malaria control activities must also be strengthened while the proportion of the population not insured must be enrolled on the NHIS, she said, and promised to work with all stakeholders to further improve the gaps and sustain the gains made.

Ms Francisca Asare, the District Public Health Nurse, revealed that the district priority for 2023 was to improve skilled delivery from 47.5 per cent to 60 per cent, achieve family planning coverage of 45 per cent and improve on data quality in midwifery and family planning reports.

On the District’s performance indicators from 2021-2023, she stated that family planning acceptor rate increased from 24.4 to 41. Per cent in 2023, while the proportion of new-borns receiving Postnatal Care (PNC) within 48 hours from birth increased from 99.6 per cent in 2021 to 102 per cent in 2022, and 104 percent in 2023.

Skilled delivery reduced from 50 per cent in 2021 to 47.5
per cent in 2022 and to 48.4 per cent in 2023, adding that they recorded zero still birth in 2021, 2.8/1000 in 2022 and 0.3/1000 births in 2023.

We recorded zero maternal mortality in 2021, 30/100,000 in 2022 and Zero per cent in 2023, Ms Asare said.

Adolescent pregnancy increased from 11.7 percent in 2021 to 12.0 percent in 2022 and 11.3 percent in 2023, exceeding their target of 10 percent during the year under review, while adolescent delivery increased from 11.5 percent in 2021 to 12.2 percent to 11.5 percent in 2023, exceeding the targeted percentage of 10 percent for the period.

Traditional Birth Attendant Delivery reduced from 76.2 per cent in 2021 to 47.4 per cent in 2022 and to 51.5 per cent against 72 per cent targeted in 2023.

On Sub-District Performance 2023 she said Family Planning Acceptor Rate was targeted at 45 per cent for all the sub-district during the year under review, adding that Awutu recorded 39.3; Bawjiase 38.2, Bontrase 37.5; Papaase 59.7; Senya 38.8; and the entire District had
41 per cent.

On Antenatal Clinic Registrants, 95 per cent was targeted during the period, Awutu recorded 212.7 per cent, Bawjiase 75.1 per cent, Bontrase 53.3 per cent, Papaase 141.5 per cent, Senya 42.8 per cent and 90 .4 per cent for the district in 2023.

Ms Asare said Awutu recorded 117 per cent skilled delivery, Bawjiase 44.9 percent, Bontrase 27. 6, Papaase 65.9, Senya 20.8 and the average for the district was 48 percent of the targeted 72 percent for 2023.

Ms Asare enumerated some challenges of the district as shortage of logistics, low skilled delivery, low coverage of postnatal care and high adolescent pregnancy.

She appealed for support to enable them to continuously deliver quality health care to persons who patronised their services.

Source: Ghana News Agency