Pregnant women in the Upper East Region prefer giving birth at home rather than in the hospital. This follows claims the pregnant women are often physically and verbally abused when they visit the hospitals for delivery. A coalition of health NGOs revealed this after a survey in the region. The coalition fears the situation will have precarious effect on child and maternal mortality. Vice Chairman Coalition Noble Asakia told Joy News the situation is predominant in rural areas and must be checked immediately. “Maternal health should be the concern of mankind. Maternal health should not be limited to only civil society organisations alone or the government. “We are so particular because the region lack a lot of skilled health professionals,” he said. Resident Gynecologist at the Upper East Regional hospital, Dr Peter Banfo acknowledged the concerns of the coalition but doubts if the situation is widespread. He said there are different delivery positions, including squatting, which women adopt. Whilst he would not condone the alleged abuses of pregnant women during delivery, Dr Banfo said nurses sometimes also go through desperate moments, especially when the pregnant woman has gone through nine months of pregnancy and struggled about five hours in the labour room and just about the last minute the woman wants to give up. “…At one end the woman is tired but on the other end the midwife also think is the critical moment, the woman needs to deliver so they try to encourage this woman to make the last effort,” he explained. Meanwhile Joy FM's Upper East Region correspondent has painted a gloomy picture about why some women in the region prefer delivering at home. Albert Soree said in Sirigu, there is no water in the health facility and usually when they are going for delivery they will have to carry their own water to the hospital. He said there has also been the increase in number of traditional birth attendants who have undergone some training in helping to deliver pregnant women at home. He however confirmed the alleged abuses rained on the pregnant women by midwives.