Ghana falls short of maternal mortality reduction targets despite progress

UNICEF reveals that globally, a woman loses her life every minute due to pregnancy and childbirth complications, primarily attributed to inadequate access to healthcare, socio-economic factors, and postpartum hemorrhage.

Over recent years, Ghana has witnessed a decline in its maternal mortality ratio, dropping from 319 per 100,000 live births in 2015 to 263 per 100,000 live births in 2020.



Read full article/> According to GhOne News, despite this positive trend, the reduction has been gradual, and Ghana has not met the Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 target of reducing global maternal mortality ratio to below 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.

Philomena Owusu Domfeh, a senior midwifery officer at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, has assisted in delivering over a thousand babies in her twelve-year career. She commends the progress in reducing maternal mortality but emphasizes the need for further improvement towards achieving the SDG target.

Philomena points out that some religious leaders in Ghana contribute to maternal deaths by discouraging timely healthcare treatment, particularly Caesarean sections.

"Some religious leaders insist on vaginal delivery as the only option, disregarding the health of both mother and baby. Unfortunately, such beliefs lead to tragic outcomes," she explains.

She recounts a heartbreaking incident where a mother and her twins died after refusing a Caesarean section based on a pastor's advice. Philomena stresses the urgency to halt such harmful practices, including giving pregnant women stickers to ingest, perpetuated by some pastors.

Philomena calls on stakeholders to intervene and eradicate these practices to further reduce Ghana's maternal mortality rates.