The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has expressed deep concern over Ghana’s deteriorating maternal health situation, revealing that nearly 900 women have died from pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications so far in 2025.
The alarming figures were disclosed by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, during a high-level stakeholder engagement in Accra.
She described the situation as unacceptable and deeply worrying, noting that maternal deaths remain persistently high despite years of investment in maternal healthcare services.
According to the Minister, Ghana has made only limited progress in reducing maternal mortality over the past decade.
The maternal mortality ratio declined marginally from 316 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2010 to 301 in 2020.
At this slow rate of improvement, Ghana risks missing the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of reducing maternal deaths to 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Data from the Ghana Health Service further shows that progress has stalled in recent years.
Maternal deaths increased slightly from 100 per 100,000 live births in 2023 to 102 in 2024, raising concerns that current interventions are not delivering sustained results.
Speaking at the Presidential Maternal Health Dialogue in Accra, Madam Lartey explained that many of these deaths are preventable.
However, they continue to occur due to weak health systems, delayed antenatal care, poor emergency transport and referral networks, and socio-cultural barriers that prevent women, especially those in rural and hard-to-reach areas, from seeking timely care.
The Deputy Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Oye Bampo, confirmed that as of November 2025, nearly 900 maternal deaths had been recorded nationwide.
He warned that the figure could rise beyond 1,000 by the end of the year if urgent and coordinated action is not taken.
Representing the Health Minister, Dr Hafez Adam Taher, Director of Technical Coordination and Health Planning at the Ministry of Health, admitted that Ghana is currently off track in meeting its maternal mortality targets under the Universal Health Coverage roadmap.
He attributed the setbacks to ongoing challenges, including inadequate emergency transport services, shortages in blood and transfusion systems, weak supply chains for essential maternal health commodities, and inconsistent implementation of maternal and newborn death surveillance mechanisms.
Beyond the health impact, the Gender Minister described maternal mortality as a national development and human rights crisis.
She revealed that even within the Ministry of Gender, a maternal death had been recorded among the nearly 900 cases this year, underscoring the widespread nature of the problem.
In response, the government says it will strengthen efforts to reverse the trend. Planned measures include the uncapping of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the expansion of social protection programmes under the Mahama Cares Initiative, aimed at reducing financial and logistical barriers to emergency maternal care.
Calling for collective action, Madam Lartey urged traditional and religious leaders, families, local authorities, civil society organisations, the media and the private sector to work together to address the crisis.
She stressed that protecting women’s lives during pregnancy and childbirth is a matter of justice, warning that without urgent and sustained action, maternal deaths will continue to claim the lives of Ghanaian women.
