Dr. Patrick Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service has disclosed that the country’s maternal mortality rate reduced from 838 in 2019 to 776 in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and its related impact.
Meanwhile, this has been the case for over the past few decades. Ghana’s maternal mortality rate has seen a steady decline due to several factors including robust systems put in place to ensure safe pregnancy and delivery, he opined.
Available data from the Ghana Health Service shows a total number of 875 maternal deaths in 2018 and 838 in 2019. Institutional maternal mortality ratio also decreased from 117 to 106 in 2020.
“Over the past few decades, the maternal mortality rate in Ghana has seen a steady decline due to several factors and robust systems put in place to ensure safe pregnancy and delivery.”
World Health Organization
This information was made known by the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service during the opening of the third national Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition Conference 2021, held in Accra today, August 31, 2021.
The conference was themed: ‘Sustaining Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) and Nutrition Services Delivery and Resilient Systems in Emergencies and Beyond.’
Health Professionals, Policy Makers, and Development Partners convened to discuss the achievements and lessons learned from ensuring Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health services during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to work to sustain the gains made.
The conference also highlighted the existing health system and ways to enhance it to achieve the set targets for Universal Health Coverage.
Recommendations to improve maternal, child health and nutrition
Dr Aboagye indicated that lessons from COVID-19 had brought to the fore, the importance of strengthening partnerships and community engagement in a holistic approach.
Also, these positive outcomes are not only in the containment of effort but also in actions to maintain the delivery of critical maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition services.
Furthermore, the conference was an opportunity to deliberate on which of the health system factors have had a positive influence on the COVID-19 response. Also, he addressed the gaps in the health system and what needs to be done to have a more resilient and support service delivery.
Speaking at the opening of the conference, WHO Ghana Country Representative to Ghana, Dr. Francis Chisaka Kasolo commented on projections of the early Lives Saved Tool (LiST).
Based on the tool’s modelling on the potential impact of reduced coverage of RMNCAH services, a reduction of around 15% over a period of 6 months would result in 253,500 additional child deaths and 12,190 additional maternal deaths.
He further noted that a reduction in coverage of around 45% over a period of 6 months would result in over One million additional child deaths. This reduction would lead to 56,700 additional maternal deaths, he noted.
That said, he added that Ghana, had so far been spared these dire consequences. For the reason that prompt and decisive actions have been taken on this front. He expected that recommendations from the conference would be in line with the WHO Pillars for preparedness and response.
Dr. Kasolo emphasized that previous outbreaks and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic had highlighted the vulnerability of health systems to public health emergencies.
Further, he stressed the need to address gaps in preparedness and strengthen the resilience of health systems to respond without compromising other essential health services.
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