MORE ASSISTANCE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN (PAGE 20)

THE British Secretary of State for International Development, Mr Douglas Alexander, has announced an additional package of £6.76 million to assist Ghana successfully to implement the free maternal care for pregnant women in the country.
He explained that the funds would be used to improve emergency obstetric care for the beneficiaries of the initiative that was begun in the country a couple of months ago.
According to him, the British government was impressed with the response to the programme so far and the successful manner it was being operated in the country.
‘‘I value the work the government of Ghana is doing from what we have seen since our arrival and I will return to London with very fond memories of this country,’’ Mr Alexander stated.
The Secretary of State made the announcement when he led a five-member team to the Savelugu District Hospital in the Savelugu/Nanton District in the Northern Region on Sunday where he visited some pregnant women who had queued up for maternal care.
Mr Alexander commended health workers in the area for the high levels of professionalism they exhibited in their work and urged them to continue to give their best.
He described the relationship between the two countries as very cordial and fruitful, adding that it was for that reason the British government was extending resources to Ghana to help improve on the quality of life of her people.
Mr Alexander commended President John Agyekum Kufuor especially for his personal efforts and initiative, which, he noted, resulted in the disbursement of the special package for the pregnant women.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Alhaji Abubakari Atori, expressed appreciation to the British government for the immense assistance she had offered the people of the district over the years.
He mentioned education and health as the sectors that had seen much transformation in the area through the support of the Department for International Development (DFID).
The DCE mentioned the offer of incentive packages and the construction of quarters for teachers in deprived communities, capacity building and the support for needy children as some of the benefits of DFID interventions.