Omanghana
Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Health, Prof. Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has completed the first phase of her working tour of the Greater Accra Region under the Maternal Mortality Action and Response Program (MMARP).
The exercise focused on assessing maternal healthcare services, identifying systemic challenges and developing practical interventions to reduce preventable deaths among pregnant women.
During the first day of the tour, Prof. Ayensu-Danquah visited the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, popularly known as Ridge Hospital, and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. Both facilities serve as major referral centers for complicated pregnancies and other medical emergencies.
She met with hospital administrators, senior clinicians, midwives and frontline healthcare workers to discuss the challenges affecting the delivery of timely and quality maternal care.
The deputy minister also toured maternity wards and interacted with expectant mothers and other patients to obtain firsthand information about their experiences at the facilities.
Her assessment covered the availability of emergency obstetric and neonatal services, referral arrangements between lower-level facilities and major hospitals, ward infrastructure, bed capacity, access to blood and shortages of essential medical equipment.
Particular attention was given to delays in transferring patients from primary healthcare centers to tertiary facilities, as such setbacks can increase the risk of complications and death during pregnancy or childbirth.
The inspection forms part of the Ministry of Health’s nationwide Ecosystem Assessment under MMARP. The program is intended to provide a targeted national roadmap for tackling maternal mortality, which remains one of Ghana’s most pressing public health concerns.
Prof. Ayensu-Danquah reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing the gaps identified during the tour. She indicated that findings from Ridge and Korle Bu would inform immediate policy decisions, resource allocation and improvements in emergency response systems.
The Greater Accra tour also includes community-level assessments at facilities such as the Kotoko Health Center and Community-based Health Planning and Services compounds, as well as engagements with the Ga West Municipal Assembly.
The broader exercise seeks to strengthen coordination between community healthcare providers and referral hospitals, improve the early detection of pregnancy-related complications and ensure that women requiring emergency care are transferred without avoidable delays.
Source: Omanghana
