Maternal mortality rate in the Greater Accra Region has reduced from 181 per 100,000 births in 2022 to 146.7 per 100,000 births in 2023.
Still births rate in the region has also declined by 7.9 per cent, a decrease from 12.7 per cent last year to 11.7 per cent in 2023.
The Greater Accra Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Charity Sarpong, announced this at the region’s half-year performance review, in Accra, yesterday.
It was held on the theme: “Addressing healthcare delivery gaps for equity in health coverage through intensifying health promotion interventions, optimising the use of data and technology to improve access to quality care, and strengthening preventive and control measures for emergent and re-emergent public health events .”
Dr Sarpong said that institutional neonatal mortality rate saw a significant reduction from 11.5 per cent in 2022 to 6.3 per cent in 2023.
The region, she said also recorded a significant increase in the immunisation coverages of Oral Polio Vaccines 3 (OPV3) and Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), a vaccine against Tuberculosis, from 79.708 in 2022 to 83,144 in 2023.
However, Dr Sarpong mentioned that coverage for other antigens such as Measles Rubella 2, saw a reduction by 24.5 per cent from 89,898 in 2022 to 68,205 in 2023.
She attributed the decline in immunisation coverage to the shortages of vaccines at the beginning of the year.
According to Dr Sarpong, the vaccine stock outs have since been rectified and affected districts were carrying out mop-ups to ensure they met their targets and cover babies who were missed out.
She assured that the region would continue to distribute resources equitably to all districts for effective health delivery.
“We will also continue to implement all planned monitoring and supportive supervisions, and other interventions geared towards achieving our set annual targets for the remaining half of the year,” Dr Sarpong said.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey, in a speech read on his behalf, said the Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts Assemblies, had taken keen interest in the vaccination drives initiated in the region.
He commended the regional health directorate for the remarkable improvement compared to that of the previous years in the region.
Mr Quartey said, “this goes to testify that the interventions and programmes being implemented are yielding the desired outcomes and results each year.”
He urged district directors to collaborate with the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, to factor their health needs into their programmes in order to address challenges in their respective operational areas.
“The Regional Coordinating Council will continue to support the health sector, especially in the areas of physical infrastructure and the provision of essential materials and continuous collaboration between the MMDCEs in the areas of ensuring clean and healthy communities and people,” Mr Quartey said.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
