An officer from the Reproductive and Child Health Unit Ms Aboagye-Mensah has disclosed a total number of 23 maternal mortalities in 2022 which is a reduction from the 2021 figure of 25 at the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate.

In a presentation at the annual performance review of the Directorate in Tema, she indicated that the metro in 2018 recorded 31 deaths, which dropped to 18 in 2019 but rose to 25 in 2020.

She further indicated that the maternal mortality ratio for the period was 286 per every 100,000 live births compared to 294 for 2021.

Ms Aboagye however stated that the figure was very high to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 70 Standard.

According to her, Tema Regional Hospital (General) documented 19 of the instances reported in 2022, while Raphal Medical Centre, Bethel Hospital, J. H. Restoration Medical Center, and Narh Bita Hospital each reported one case.

She offered a breakdown of some of the contributing reasons, including logistical issues, personal and family issues, issues with the transportation and communication systems, and issues with the health care workers themselves.

As additional contributing causes, she also included antenatal non-attendance, referral delays, medication, a lack of ambulances at referral facilities, blood, hypertension, ventilators, diabetes, subpar examinations, and a dearth of critical care units.

According to Ms. Aboagye-Mensah, suggestions being considered to lower maternal mortality in the metro area include increasing capacity, closely monitoring patients after surgery, intensifying client education, outfitting the ICU, holding blood donation exercises, using appropriate clinical management, and making referrals quickly and effectively, among other things.

She explained that the number of stillbirths represented 25.8 rates per 1,000 live births.

She said even though 213 stillbirths were recorded it showed a decrease over the 220 recorded in 2021, the rate was still high and needed to be reduced.