The Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate (GRHD) is struggling to meet the global maternal mortality ratio target of fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births due to low skilled delivery rates.

Data from the directorate shows that in 2024, health facilities in the Greater Accra Region recorded 163 maternal deaths, a slight reduction from 170 maternal deaths in 2023.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that countries achieve a maternal mortality ratio of fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030, as part of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.1.

Dr. Akosua Agyeiwaa Owusu-Sarpong, Greater Accra Regional Director of Health, stated in Accra on Thursday that the high maternal mortality ratio of 167 per 100,000 live births in the region was partly due to the directorate’s inability to completely capture skilled delivery data from all public health facilities and over 600 private health facilities in the region.

She made these remarks at the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate’s Annual Performance Review meeting for 2024, held under the theme “Improving Performance and Health Outcomes through Service Delivery, Partnerships, and Excellence in Health Service Delivery.”

Dr. Owusu-Sarpong noted that ongoing safe motherhood and life-saving skills training, quarterly zonal meetings, and supervision by obstetricians, gynecologists, and pediatricians would further help reduce maternal and perinatal mortality rates. She emphasized that these initiatives must be sustained.

The review meeting provided senior managers, program managers, unit heads, metro and municipal directors of health, and medical directors of health facilities in the Greater Accra Region an opportunity to assess their performance in 2024.

Over two days, health professionals will evaluate their progress, acknowledge collective successes, identify performance gaps, and develop strategies for improved performance in the years ahead.

Dr. Owusu-Sarpong stated that in 2025, the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate would focus on strengthening partnerships, enhancing governance systems, and improving service quality and safety.

She acknowledged that while equity in staff distribution remained a challenge in some areas, the GRHD successfully deployed a significant number of staff to the Ada East and Ada West districts, as well as other underserved areas where health workers had previously been reluctant to accept postings.

“The region’s aggregate score for the holistic assessment in 2024 was 4.07, compared to 3.93 in 2023, making it a high-performing region,” she said.

She also highlighted the region’s success in bringing cholera under effective control, thanks to more resilient and trusted surveillance and epidemic management systems.

Dr. Caroline Reindorf Amissah, Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), acknowledged challenges such as dwindling funds, a rising disease burden, workforce migration, and infrastructure deterioration. She urged health workers to focus on strengthening their service commitment.

Madam Linda Ocloo, Greater Accra Regional Minister, in a speech read on her behalf, encouraged health professionals to remain steadfast in improving healthcare delivery.

The Regional Minister urged health workers to promote transparency, accountability, and excellence in health facilities, stating that “Strengthening reporting mechanisms, particularly in the private health sector, will ensure more accurate data capture and informed decision-making.”

Maternal mortality refers to deaths resulting from complications during pregnancy or childbirth.

The leading causes of maternal mortality include severe bleeding (postpartum hemorrhage), infections (including sepsis), high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia), complications from delivery, and unsafe abortions.