Bolgatanga, March 26, – The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has disclosed a rise in maternal mortality in the Upper East Region, with deaths increasing from 40 in 2024 to 60 in 2025.
The increase has pushed the institutional maternal mortality ratio to 132 per 100,000 live births, up from 97 per 100,000 in the previous year, diverging from the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) 2030 target of 70 per 100,000 live births.
Speaking at the 2025 Annual Performance Review meeting, Braimah Baba Abubakari, Regional Director of Health Services, said the session, themed “Strengthening health systems for sustainable and equitable access to quality health care: the role of monitoring and supportive supervision,” provided a platform to assess progress and adjust strategies for service delivery.
He indicated that cases of anaemia among pregnant women slightly increased to 17,377 in 2025 from 17,020 in 2024. Total coverage of Ante-Natal Care (ANC) also improved from 74.28% to 83.65%, while first-trimester ANC registrations remained nearly constant at 60.3%, surpassing the 55% target for the year.
The stillbirth rate held steady at 9.9%, below the 2025 target of 11.5%, while institutional neonatal mortality rose from 5 to 6 per 1,000 live births, marking a 14.9% year-on-year increase. The all-cause institutional mortality rate slightly fell from 19.3% to 18.9%.
Dr Abubakari stressed that maternal, child, and adolescent health remained high on the regional agenda, noting ongoing training for midwives and community health nurses to enhance service quality. The Regional Maternal Mortality Taskforce continues to audit maternal deaths and ensure recommendations are implemented effectively.
“Midwives have undergone refresher courses in safe motherhood, and additional personnel will be trained in neonatal resuscitation to reduce preventable stillbirths,” he added.
Data from health facilities also revealed a small decrease in per capita Out-Patient Department (OPD) attendance, from 1.20 in 2024 to 1.18 in 2025, covering a population of 1,421,293. Malaria, Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI), diarrhoeal diseases, typhoid fever, and anaemia remained the leading causes of OPD visits.
The Regional Director commended health managers, District Directors, and frontline staff at Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds and health centres for their commitment under challenging conditions.
GHBUSS
26 March 2026
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