A Community Health Nurse (CHN) in the Eastern Region has called on pregnant women from the Akorabo Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) catchment area to patronise health programmes.

About 34 small towns are under the RCH at Akorabo in the Suhum Municipality yet attendance by pregnant women to the clinic remains low.

Daniel Adomako, in an interview, said many in the area refuse to patronise the clinic because they prefer traditional forms of treatment.

He said they often resorted to herbs in times of health challenges and waited until the situation worsened before they rushed to the clinic.

He said the RCH programme has contributed greatly to improve the life of rural dwellers, especially in the area of preventive health care but the situation in Akorabo leaves much to be desired.

Mr Adomako said the clinic would continue in its efforts using all platforms to create awareness on the need for patients to attend clinic.

“There is empirical evidence that regular attendance to health centres by pregnant women leads to the reduction of infant and maternal mortality”, he said.