Dr. Irene Agyapong-Amarteyfio, Head of the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has said the region needed to be more innovative with public health programmes since their performance was stagnating. She said the region should also endeavour to continue efforts to improve primary and referral clinical care and Emergency and Obstetric Care (EOC). Speaking at the end of a four-day annual performance review of the region in Accra at the weekend, Dr Agyapong-Amarteyfio said pregnancy induced hypertension, haemorrhage and unsafe abortion were the leading causes of maternal mortality whilst causes of neonatal deaths were attributed to sepsis and birth asphyxia. She said the National Blood Service and GHS were liaising to address the haemorrhage problem while the Human Resource Division was assisting with a nurse anaesthetist training programme at Ridge Hospital to help address the EOC and other first level referral care problems. To help address the unsafe abortion problem, IPAS, an international organization and Marie Stoppes, a reproductive health and family planning service provider, are helping with interventions. Dr Agyapong-Amarteyfio expressed concern about the inadequate human and other resources, saying: "In the face of scarce resources, we have focused on the rural areas where the problem is greater by renovation, staffing and improving quality of existing health care.” She said new centres at Duffo and Bortianor were almost completed with money from the OPEC Fund and MP’s common fund respectively. She added that Amasaman Health Centre had been fully furnished with Internally Generated Funds (IGF) and OPEC Funds and elevated to a district hospital level. Dodowa Hospital in Dangme West District will be fully functional this year whilst expansion of work at Achimota and Princess Marie Louis hospitals were almost completed with funds from IGF and local fund raising. She commended the staff in the region for the brilliant performance last year and urged them to exhibit more commitment to ensure the achievement of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. Health centres that excelled in the course of the year were acknowledged and presented with awards. Source: GNA