The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi recorded a reduction in maternal deaths from 111 in 2019 to 53 in 2020.

This translates into a maternal death ratio decline of 1, 575 per 100,000 live births in 2019 to 847 per 100,000 live births in 2020, the lowest in the last five years.

Dr Oheneba Owusu Danso, Chief Executive of KATH, made this known at the end of year performance review meeting of the hospital in Kumasi.

He said apart from improved clinical care, the establishment of the Nana Afia Serwaa Kobi Ampem (NAKSA) baby and mother care Centre, which was constructed and commissioned by Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the first lady through the Rebecca Foundation, made that achievement possible.

Also, the enhanced capacity of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) ensured more prompt and improved quality in the state of referred patients received at the hospital.

Dr Owusu Danso said total deliveries at the facility fell from 6, 814 in 2019 to 6,247 in 2020, indicating a decrease of 8.32 per cent.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating effect on the operations of the hospital.

The hospital's budget performance recorded revenue of GH? 73.71million against the projected amount of GH?80.16million.

Expenditure was GH ?80.21million against a budget target of GH?80.16 million.

The resulted in an overall expenditure run of over GH?6.49million in 2020 against the targeted revenue.

Specialist outpatients attendance also dropped by 31.82 per cent with 190, 657 cases as against 279,545 for the period 2019.

Dr Owusu Danso said a total of 7,646 health workers received the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

He commended the government for securing the first batch of 600,000 doses of the vaccine to the country, advising everyone to take the vaccine since the pandemic was still spreading.

He was also grateful to the government for the provision of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to the hospital which helped to reduce the expenditure burden of the hospital.

Dr Owusu Danso said with the support of partners, the hospital intended to initiate and pursue some projects to further improve the capacity of the hospital to deliver quality specialists care to the public.