Builsa north: The Builsa North Municipal Health Directorate has achieved a major milestone in maternal and child healthcare with 100 percent postnatal care coverage across all six sub-municipals during the first half of 2026. Mr. Cabral Vwawojei Bantiu, the Municipal Director of Health Services, announced this achievement during the Directorate's half-year performance review meeting themed: 'From Policy to Practice: Leveraging Stakeholder and Partner Support to Achieve Universal Health Coverage through Free Primary Health Care.'
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Bantiu emphasized that the accomplishment reflects the dedication of frontline health workers in safeguarding the health of mothers and newborns. He expressed satisfaction with the postnatal care performance, highlighting that every sub-municipality recorded complete coverage. This achievement underscores the commitment of health workers to ensuring that mothers and newborns receive essential care after delivery.
Despite the success in postnatal care, early antenatal registration remains a concern, with only 51.4 percent of pregnant women registering for antenatal care during the first trimester, marking a slight decline from the previous year. Mr. Bantiu noted the importance of early booking for identifying pregnancy-related complications, initiating preventive interventions, and ensuring positive maternal and neonatal outcomes. He emphasized the need to intensify community education to encourage women to report early for antenatal care.
Mr. Bantiu also highlighted significant improvements in maternal healthcare indicators. Nearly all pregnant women who registered for antenatal care had their haemoglobin levels checked, resulting in a 99.4 percent anaemia screening coverage. Additionally, there was progress in continuity of maternal care, with attendance for at least four antenatal visits increasing to 84.4 percent during the review period. This improvement reflects stronger adherence to recommended antenatal schedules and enhanced follow-up by health workers, which also ensured considerable increases in malaria prevention during pregnancy.
Coverage for the third dose of the Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT3) rose to 79.4 percent, while IPT5 increased to 40.4 percent. Mr. Bantiu acknowledged that although these improvements are commendable, IPT5 coverage remains below desired levels, necessitating additional efforts to ensure pregnant women receive all recommended doses.
The municipality reported a significant reduction in stillbirths, with the rate declining from 26.1 per 1,000 live births in 2025 to 13.3 per 1,000 live births during the first half of 2026. Family planning services also recorded modest gains, with the municipal acceptor rate increasing from 40.2 percent in 2025 to 41.5 percent in the period under review. Mr. Bantiu noted that while Chuchuliga and Sandema West posted strong performances, more work is needed to improve uptake in other sub-municipalities through community education, greater male involvement, and expanded access to contraceptive services.
Mr. Bantiu expressed concern over the challenges posed by referral services. Despite an increase in maternal, neonatal, and general referrals during the review period, referral facilities failed to provide feedback on referred cases. He stressed the importance of strengthening the referral feedback system to ensure continuity of patient care and quality.
Finally, Mr. Bantiu described the nation's Free Primary Health Care (FPHC) policy as a critical step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and indicated that policy formulation would determine its success. He called for stronger collaboration among all stakeholders to overcome challenges and sustain progress towards UHC, urging them to remain committed to accountability, innovation, and teamwork.