The Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate (GRHD) is struggling to meet the global maternal mortality target of fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births due to low-skilled delivery.
Data from the directorate shows that in 2024, health facilities in the Greater Accra Region recorded 163 maternal deaths, a slight reduction from 170 deaths in 2023.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that countries meet the 70 deaths per 100,000 live births target by 2030, as part of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.1.
Speaking at the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate Annual Performance Review meeting for 2024, Dr. Akosua Agyeiwaa Owusu-Sarpong, Greater Accra Regional Director of Health, attributed the high maternal mortality ratio of 167/100,000 live births to the directorate’s inability to fully capture skilled delivery data from all public health facilities and over 600 private health facilities in the region.
The meeting, held under the theme “Improving Performance and Health Outcomes through Service Delivery, Partnerships, and Excellence in Health Service Delivery,” brought together senior managers, programme managers, unit heads, metro and municipal health directors, and medical directors to assess their 2024 performance.
Dr. Owusu-Sarpong noted that ongoing safe motherhood and life-saving skills training, as well as quarterly zonal meetings supervised by obstetricians, gynaecologists, and paediatricians, must be sustained to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality.
For two days, health officials will review their progress, acknowledge successes, identify performance gaps, and develop strategies for improved service delivery.
Looking ahead to 2025, Dr. Owusu-Sarpong said the directorate would focus on strengthening partnerships, improving governance systems, and enhancing service quality and safety.
She acknowledged challenges in staff distribution but noted improvements, particularly in Ada East and Ada West, where postings had often been refused in the past.
“The Region’s aggregate score for the holistic assessment in 2024 was 4.07, compared to 3.93 in 2023, making the region a high-performing one,” she said.
Dr. Owusu-Sarpong also highlighted efforts to bring cholera under control through resilient surveillance and epidemic management systems.
Dr. Caroline Reindorf Amissah, Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), urged health workers to focus on strengthening service commitment amid challenges such as dwindling funds, a rising disease burden, workforce migration, and infrastructure deterioration.
Greater Accra Regional Minister, Madam Linda Ocloo, in a speech read on her behalf, encouraged health professionals to remain steadfast in improving healthcare delivery.
She emphasised the need for transparency, accountability, and excellence in health facilities, adding, “Strengthening reporting mechanisms, particularly in the private health sector, will ensure more accurate data capture and informed decision-making.”
Maternal mortality refers to deaths due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth.
The leading causes include severe bleeding (postpartum haemorrhage), infections (including sepsis), high blood pressure disorders (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia), complications from delivery, and unsafe abortions.
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