The government has launched a new national initiative aimed at reducing maternal deaths by 20 percent every year over the next three years.
The Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response (PRIMA) seeks to strengthen Ghana’s response to maternal mortality through improved healthcare delivery, emergency referrals, financing, accountability and coordination among key institutions.
Ghana’s maternal mortality ratio currently stands at about 234 deaths per 100,000 live births, while 965 institutional maternal deaths were recorded in 2025, according to the Ministry of Health.
Health authorities say progress in reducing maternal deaths has stalled since around 2022, despite improvements in antenatal care and institutional deliveries.
Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang said about nine in 10 women receive at least four antenatal care visits, while approximately 86 percent of births are attended by skilled health personnel.
She said the challenge now goes beyond getting women into health facilities, stressing the need to improve the quality, readiness and speed of emergency care.
“It is not enough for many more women to enter our health facilities. They must return home safely with their babies to their families,” she said.
The initiative initially had four pillars—political leadership, institutional accountability, sustainable financing and multi-sectoral coordination—but the Ministry of Health has added a fifth pillar focused on clinical and operational action.
The fifth pillar incorporates the Maternal Mortality Action and Response Programme (MAP) as the clinical and operational arm of PRIMA.
Deputy Minister for Health Grace Ayensu-Danquah said the Ministry’s assessment identified challenges including late identification of high-risk pregnancies, delays in referrals, inadequate emergency transport, shortages of blood and critical-care equipment, and gaps in intensive care services.
She said about 70 percent of maternal deaths are concentrated in 11 regions, with Ashanti and Greater Accra among the major contributors.
According to her, many women who die at referral hospitals are referred from lower-level facilities, highlighting the need to strengthen the entire referral chain.
The government also intends to improve maternal and perinatal death surveillance, strengthen data systems and ensure greater accountability across health institutions.
The initiative will involve government agencies, local authorities, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, the private sector and communities.
Government says the ultimate test of PRIMA will be whether fewer women die during pregnancy and childbirth.
“No woman should die while giving life.”
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Nana Achiaa Aboagye
