IT has become a global objective to reduce drastically the number of women who die each year as a result of labour-related complications.
This therefore explains why world leaders made it one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that the world must attain by 2015.
It is the exactly the same reason why health personnel in Ghana have been making efforts, in the face of very difficult conditions, to improve maternal health, and consequently reduce maternal deaths.
In the Northern Region, the largest in the country, the drive to reduce maternal mortality is faced with even more difficulties.
Many women in the region have died during labour because they could not access healthcare at the time it was most needed for many reasons.
The lack of health facilities and health professionals to man the available facilities appears to be among the topmost factors promoting maternal death in the region.
By the end of last year, the region had 263 health facilities, 19 of which were hospitals, four maternity homes, three poly-clinics and the majority being Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compounds.
Recently, the Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama commissioned five new ultra-modern clinics for five towns. They are Janga, Chereponi, Karaga, Tatale and Kpandai.
Aside providing quality healthcare to the people, it is envisaged that these clinics would strengthen the countries’ drive towards achieving the MDGs on maternal and child health through safe delivery, immunisation, and the integrated management of childhood illness.
Again, the inadequacy of health professionals means many pregnant women undergo labour under the supervision of traditional birth attendants or unskilled birth attendants.
According to the Northern Regional Director of Health, Dr Akwasi Twumasi, there were only 15 doctors and 210 midwives working in the regional and district health facilities in the region by the end of 2010.
The poor nature of roads in the NR is certainly another reason why many pregnant women who live in inaccessible communities are denied safe motherhood services, especially during the rainy season when various roads are inundated.
As at the end of 2009, only 31 per cent of roads in the NR were rated good, whiles 22 per cent were considered poor. The rest were classified as fairly usable.
This situation definitely requires significant improvement if any progress is to be made in tackling maternal mortality.
In spite of all these challenges, figures released by the Northern Regional Health Directorate reveals that some modest gains are being made towards reducing maternal deaths.
According to the Deputy Director of Health in charge of Public Health, Dr Jacob Mahama, 91 maternal deaths were recorded in 2006, 115 in 2007, 91 in 2008 and 96 in 2009.
He said in 2010, the number of maternal deaths reduced to 81, which is an indication that some progress was being made in addressing maternal mortality.
Dr Mahama also mentioned that the number of supervised or skilled deliveries increased by 35 per cent in 2010, although the target was to increase it by 45 per cent.
He said the rate at which women patronised antenatal and postnatal care services also witnessed some slight increases, but pinpointed gaps in the acceptance and practice of family planning.
Dr Mahama said, hopefully, the region would strive to further reduce the number of labour-related deaths by strengthening various measures that have been adopted to promote safe motherhood.
Meanwhile, the only teaching hospital in the north, the Tamale Teaching Hospital also recorded some successes in reducing maternal mortality at that facility.
In 2008, the hospital recorded 54 maternal deaths and in 2009, the figure reduced to 33.
“The maternity department made these advances in the face of very trying conditions of limited space in the labour and delivery unit, the maternity and gynaecology wards, with mothers who have just delivered lying on the floor,” stated the Chief Executive Officer of the TTH, Dr Ken Sagoe during the 2010 annual performance review conference.
He identified Eclampsia, unsafe abortion, postpartum haemorrhage, severe anaemia and sepsis and septicaemia as the main causes of maternal deaths at the facility.
In short, much more needs to be done to sustain the current steady progress being made in reducing maternal deaths.
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