Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah has assured Liberians that under her leadership the Ministry will endeavor to take creative steps in ensuring reduction in maternal mortality here.
Speaking on a local radio, Minister Jallah said the current rate of maternal mortality in the country stands at over 1,078 deaths per 100,000 live births on an annual basis.Minister Jallah describes the figure as very alarming, and one that requires more work to be done to reduce it.
According to Minister Jallah, the Ministry of Health along with other ministries and agencies and international partners is working hard to ensure that the rate of maternal mortality is significantly reduced by 2022 as per the World Health Organization (WHO) mandate.
She names agriculture as one of the key components through which maternal mortality can be combated.She cites agriculture because mothers must be well fed so that they can be healthy during their antenatal period and the period of their delivery.
The Health Minister applauds the Ministry of Public Works for its efforts in ensuring that roads across the country are constructed, adding that road condition in the country has been a major concern of the Ministry of Health.“Without roads, pregnant women will be unable to have access to health facilities,” she concludes.
By Ethel A. Tweh–Edited by Winston W. Parley
