It is false that there more and more babies are being born without vital body parts in the Aowin District of the Western North Region at the Sewum Health Centre, the Ghana Health Service has said.

In a statement, the Service said its data does not back the claim.

“The Regional Health Directorate has a record of two cases of birth anomalies reported from the Aowin Municipality in 2021, and none from Sewum Health Centre,” the Ghana Health Service said in a statement.

“In 2020, there was no case of birth defect at Sewum Health Centre but a total of three cases of birth anomalies were reported in the entire Aowin Municipality”, the statement noted.

“From the above, and data available to us at the Western North Region, there is no increasing trend in both anomalies at Sewum Health Center, Aowin Municipality or at Western North region,” the Ghana Health Service said in its statement.

Background

There were reports earlier in the week that district was a high number of births where the babies came out without eyes, nose, ears and mouth.

This, according to the medical staff at the Centre, is a result of illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey, in the area.

The Director of Nursing and Midwifery Services, Gifty Aswoa Adjanor, disclosed this to the media.

According to her, pregnant women in the community lose their babies due to the water they drink, which is contaminated with chemicals used for illegal mining.

The highly-polluted river caused by galamsey, serves as a source of drinking water for the community.

Ms Adjanor, thus, appealed to the traditional leaders and other residents in the area to support the renewed fight against galamsey to enable pregnant women to give birth to healthy children.