The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has shot down claims that there is an increasing trend of babies being born with deformities at the Sewum Health Center, in the Aowin District of the Western North Region.

The GHS, in a statement, said available data shows that there have not been any birth defects recorded at the Sewum Health Center in 2021.

According to the Service, three cases were instead recorded at different facilities in the municipality in the year 2020.

“The Regional Health Directorate has a record of two (2) cases of birth anomalies reported from the Aowin Municipality in 2021, and none from Sewum Health Centre,” the Ghana Health Service said in a statement.

Several news reports earlier this week had said medical staff at the Sewum Health Center in the Aowin District say they are recording many cases of newborn babies being born without noses, ears or mouths due to the effects of illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey.

The reports say pregnant women in the community are continuously losing their newborn babies because the women drink water contaminated with chemicals used by the illegal miners.

But according to the Ghana Health Service, the reports are false.

“In 2020, there was no case of birth defect at Sewum Health Center but a total of three (3) case of birth anomalies were reported in the entire Aowin Municipality.”

“From the above, and data available to us at the Western North Region, there is no increasing trend in both anomalies at Sewum Health Center, Aowin Municipality or at Western North region,” the Ghana Health Service said in its statement.