The Upper East Regional Director of Health Service, Dr. Koku Awoonor-Williams lamented that pregnant women in the area were dying because they failed to practice family planning. He also said that women, especially the young ones, who engaged in unsafe abortion, were also dying at an alarming rate. Dr. Awoonor-Williams, who was addressing a durbar at Sumbrungu, in the Bolgatanga Municipality, advised women to practice family planning to enable them to have the required number of children they could care for and to reduce maternal deaths. He said that the region in 2006 recorded 43 maternal deaths of which five were through unsafe abortion and in 2007, 29 maternal deaths occurred of which two were through unsafe abortion. Dr. Awoonor-Williams said that in 2008, 27 maternal deaths were recorded out of which three were through unsafe abortion and in 2009, 32 maternal deaths were recorded out of which five were through unsafe abortion. He said that family planning was linked to other reproductive health services such as prevention and management of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Dr. Awoonor-Williams explained that family planning was a component of the safe motherhood programme, aimed at improving the health of women and to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and infant morbidity and mortality. He appealed to men to cooperate with women in the practice of family planning and advised married couples to go to clinics and outreach centers for family planning service, which was free of charge. Dr. Awoonor-Williams said that in the 1980s and 1990s, Ghana made progress in its development efforts as a result of sound family planning practice. He said that the Ghana Health Service would ensure that family planning becomes relevant to national development. Dr. Awoonor-Williams said that the country could not achieve its Millennium Development Goals of reducing maternal mortality by year the 2015. The Acting Municipal Director of Health, Mrs. Juliana Adiale said couples who practiced family planning enjoyed peace and harmony since they could ensure good education and health for their children. She said that in 2007, 9,824 people, representing 28 per cent practiced family planning but in 2008, the number reduced to 8,939, representing 25 per cent and in 2009, it further reduced to 7,682, representing 20.7 per cent. Mrs. Adiale said that the Health Directorate had initiated programmes, including durbars and showing of documentaries on family planning and other health related issues for communities in the Municipality. Source: GNA