Health care delivery is gradually improving in the Ashanti Region with maternal deaths and malaria cases on the decline. Maternal deaths have decreased steadily from 228 in 2008 to 177 in 2009 and 163 in 2010. Dr Aaron Ofei, Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, announced this at the opening of a three-day performance review meeting of the Regional Health Directorate in Kumasi, on Tuesday. He said malaria cases also went down to 835,086, last year, from the previous year's figure of 923,521. At the same time, malaria case fatalities among children under age five remained at 0.043 in 2010. Dr Ofei attributed the success to interventions, including the use of improved treated nets and rapid diagnostic kits for the detection of malaria. The meeting is being held under the theme: "Improving maternal and child health services through quality service delivery." Dr Ofei spoke of the need to strengthen some of the hospitals to receive maternal referral cases to ease the pressure on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), which continued to be the key referral centre for such cases. He pointed out that, as a Service, the workers had the responsibility to make sure that every pregnant woman, who entered any health facility to give birth, walked home alive. During the period under review, meningitis cases were recorded at Atwima-Nwabiagya; Kumasi and Sekyere East Districts, while suspected cases of measles were reported in the Ahafo-Ano North and Kwabre Districts. Two cases of H1N1 occurred at Bompata in the Asante-Akim South and Bosome-Freho Districts. Dr Ofei said HIV-AIDS prevalence rate for the Region stood at 3.0 per cent, the second highest in the country and above the national prevalence rate of 1.7 per cent. He said he was happy about the increase in the number of health projects being undertaken by the Government to improve access to health care delivery services in the Region. A new Regional Hospital is being built at Sewuah, while the Bekwai, Tepa and Konongo District Hospitals are being expanded. He, however, complained about delays in the reimbursement schedules of National Health Insurance claims and said things needed to change. Dr Ofei called on health facilities to promptly pay their indebtedness to the Regional Medical Stores to ensure regular supply and availability of drugs at the stores. Mr Kwaku Agyeman Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, in an address read for him, appealed to the Regional Health Directorate to see to it that patients were treated with dignity and respect. He said reports of abuse of patients by health professionals in hospitals were denting the image of the Ghana Health Service and that this called for prompt actions to correct it. Nana Abenaa Akuamoah Boateng, Focal Person of the Millennium Cities Project, who chaired the function, appealed to health workers to take the review exercise seriously and to develop new strategies to improve upon the health of the people. Source: GNA