Health Ministry Steps Up Action on Maternal Deaths in Bono Region

The Ministry of Health is intensifying efforts to close gaps in maternal healthcare delivery in the Bono Region as part of a renewed push to prevent avoidable maternal deaths.

Deputy Minister for Health, Prof. Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, led a two-day working engagement in the region under the Ministry’s Maternal Mortality Action and Response Programme (M-MARP), focusing on challenges in emergency obstetric care, referrals and the timely management of complications.

This engagement is the Deputy Minister’s sixth regional assessment under the M-MARP Regional Ecosystem Assessment, bringing together officials of the Bono Regional Health Directorate, the Chief Executive Officer of the Sunyani Regional Hospital, Municipal and District Directors of Health Services, Medical Superintendents and members of the Regional Health Management Team.

The assessment aims to provide a clearer picture of what happens at health facilities and in communities, identify gaps in service delivery, and develop practical measures to address factors contributing to maternal deaths.

Prof. Dr Ayensu-Danquah said the programme deliberately moved beyond existing policies and interventions to examine how maternal healthcare was delivered and where the system fell short.

She observed that despite years of investment in maternal health programmes, maternal mortality remained a major concern, requiring a fresh assessment of existing approaches and a more coordinated response.

According to her, the fact that many women who die from maternal complications have previously accessed health services, including antenatal care, raises important questions about the quality, timeliness and effectiveness of the care they receive.

She therefore called for closer attention to the circumstances surrounding complications such as haemorrhage and hypertension, rather than treating them only as broad causes of maternal deaths.

The Bono Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Abudulai Abukari, identified delays in seeking care, referrals and receiving appropriate treatment as some of the key challenges affecting maternal outcomes in the region.

He pointed to difficulties in identifying high-risk pregnancies, inadequate critical equipment, limited ambulance availability and weaknesses in referral services. Adding that the region had strengthened maternal death reviews, introduced refresher training for midwives and established a regional clinical WhatsApp platform through which health workers could obtain specialist guidance on complicated cases in real time.

He called for further investment in referral systems, sustainable financing, infrastructure and medical equipment, as well as a more equitable distribution of health personnel.

Prof. Dr Ayensu-Danquah stressed that tackling maternal mortality could not be left to health professionals alone, saying families, traditional and religious leaders, communities, civil society organisations and development partners all had important roles to play.

She said the regional M-MARP assessments were expected to produce practical action points that would strengthen maternal health services and help prevent deaths that could otherwise be avoided.

Grace Acheampong, ISD