Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Otumara, says the state's free maternal health programme, which was launched last year, has, so far, recorded a turnout of 50,826 pregnant women across the various health centers in the state.

Otumara, who stated this at the launching of Rural Health scheme for 2008 at Orhoakpor in Ethiope East local government area of the state, yesterday, said in less than one year, the free maternal health programme has recorded a total of 50,826 antenatal register, 131,998 antenatal attendance, 17,336 total deliveries, of which 1,726 were through cesarean.

He said "with the level of success thus far achieved, I am confident that the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) should no longer be a mirage for us in Delta State.

The programme has also provided us an opportunity to gather some vital data as it relates to our health indices. It is the hope that the local government councils will, sooner or later, join the free maternal health programme, as this is one of the campaign programmes of the PDP government".

"In addition to the health programmes, mentioned", he went on, "government is re-instituting the rural health scheme as part of Delta state health policy. It will also offer quality health service to all Deltans at no cost.

"The fact that majority of our people especially those who live in the rural areas still patronize quacks is disturbing to government and this prompted government to introduce the rural health scheme.

The scheme, he added serves as a stop gap to the loathsome mismanagements, morbidity and mortality which our people in the rural areas have suffered for so long at the hands of quacks and charlatans".