Asanko, HPIC partner to stop maternal and infant mortality in Amansie, A/R

Asanko Gold Ghana is partnering Canada-based Health Partners International (HPIC) to halt the alarming trend of maternal and infant mortality in the Amansie West and South Districts of the Ashanti Region.

Asanko Gold together with its partners, HPIC, has presented $100,453 worth of medical supplies to a centralised storage facility to be distributed for free to mothers and their babies Under-5 in the two mining districts and their surrounding communities.

The Amansie West District Director of Health, Bernard Badu Bediako, whiles receiving the medical supplies noted that “maternal and child health care indicators have improved in the district since 2018”.

He underscored the health benefits of the programme in the district, adding: “There have been no maternal deaths, stillbirth rate has reduced from 34.6 per cent per every 1,000 live births to 1.6 per cent of 1,000 live births.”

Mr. Badu Bediako further announced “that post-natal care had improved from 86.9 per cent in 2018 to 100.5 per cent in 2020”.

Asanko Gold and its partners, HPIC, have been championing free health delivery to reduce maternal mortality in the Amansie West and South districts.

The intervention is borne out of the mining firm’s flagship programme ‘Obaatanpa Maternal and Child Health Programme’.

The three-year intervention programme has benefited over 20,000 mothers and their babies within the Amansie enclave.

Presenting the keynote address at a mini-durbar at Manso Nkwanta, the Acting Executive General Manager of Asanko Ghana, Ahmed Mohaideen Yahya, said the company has over the years built and maintained a good track record for sustainable development for communities within its operation areas.

He further reiterated that “the Asanko mine is committed to ensuring investment that focused on improving sanitation, health, education and community infrastructure in the two districts”.

“Asanko has partnered equally-minded organisations to leverage our presence in creating a positive and self-sustaining legacy in our area of operation,” he added.