News:
March 20, 2013
The Health Committee of Parliament has advocated for maternal mortality to be made a national policy like the eradication of measles and guinea worm.
The committee which sees the current high rate of maternal mortality as a great concern suggested that the Ministry of Health should explore ways of addressing the situation and recommended that the Ministry should task the hospitals to look into the cause of the high rate and come up with measures to address it as a matter of urgency.
This was contained in the Committee of Health report on the 2013 annual budget estimates of the Ministry of Health on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday.
The committee in its deliberations with officials of the ministry noted that though the Ministry targeted a rate of 185 deaths per 100,000 births, the Ministry recorded 350 deaths per 100,000 births.
The committee further questioned the source of the data and opined that the Ministry was better placed to give accurate figures, but unfortunately their source of data is from the World Health Organization (which has stated 350/100,000 births since 2008).
It noted that though Parliament passed as number of Health Acts to improve health delivery in the country, most of these Acts have not yet been implemented, notable among them being the Health Facilities Regulatory Act and Mental Health Act.
The Committee therefore recommended to the Ministry of Health to take the necessary steps to implement the acts that were passed to ensure improvement in service delivery.
Meanwhile Parliament has approved a budget of Three Billion, Five Hundred and Twenty-Nine Million, Four Hundred and Forty –Four Thousand and Fifty –Six Ghana Cedis(GHC 3,529,444,056) for the activities of the Ministry of Health for the 2013 fiscal year.
Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh