The Savannah Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Chrysantus Kubio has disclosed that maternal deaths in the region have increased from four to seven for the year under review.

Speaking at Damongo on the occasion of the 2022 Half Year Health Sector Performance Review conference, Dr. Kubio indicated that anaemia in pregnancy at 36 weeks in the Savannah Region continues to worsen from 48% to 51%, especially in the West Gonja Municipality.

He stated further that the institutional neonatal mortality rate has reduced from 3.2 to 2.4 per 1000 live births with adolescent pregnancy in the Savannah Region also reduced from 14.3% to 13.4%.

On Covid-19, he said, 48% of the population of the people of the Savannah Region have been fully vaccinated against the disease whilst 59% have taken at least a single dose of the vaccine. The treatment of tuberculosis success rate has also improved from 87% for 2021 to 96% for 2022 first half of the year.

He also mentioned the challenges that have bedeviled the health directorate in the region including the high cost of service delivery especially in communities he described as hard-to-reach mostly in the East, Central and North Gonja districts of the region.

He added that inadequate transport for service delivery and responding to multiple public health emergencies with limited human and financial resources is also affecting some routine service delivery performance as some of the challenges facing the directorate.