The Ashanti Region continues to record Ghana’s highest maternal mortality rate, with health authorities warning that urgent action is needed to prevent more women from dying during pregnancy and childbirth.
Data from the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate shows that the region’s maternal mortality ratio increased marginally from 195.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024 to 196.7 in 2025.
The region also accounted for approximately 24.6 percent of maternal deaths recorded nationally in 2025, making it the highest contributor in the country.
Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Grace Ayensu Danquah, said the situation remains a major concern, particularly as Ghana works towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of reducing maternal mortality.
“Our maternal mortality index is actually 235 per 100,000 live births. And you all know that for us to reach universal health coverage and to also get to the Sustainable Development Goals, the recommendation is 70 deaths per 100,000 live births,” she said.
Dr. Danquah noted that Ghana has only four years to make significant progress towards the 2030 target.
“So if you’re at 235, that means you’re at least three times the required number. You and I also know that to get to 2030, we only have four years,” she added.
Ashanti’s Referral Burden
Health authorities have cautioned that the Ashanti Region’s position at the top of the maternal mortality table does not necessarily mean that its health facilities are solely responsible for the deaths.
The region has become one of Ghana’s major referral centres, receiving complicated maternal cases from several parts of the country.
Regional Health Director, Dr. Fred Adomako Boateng, said many women arrive at referral facilities only after their conditions have significantly deteriorated.
“Most of these women, by the time they get here, between 24 to 48 hours, the death has already happened,” he said.
He explained that the high number of maternal deaths recorded at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) can create the perception that the facility is responsible for the deaths, despite many of the patients being referred from other regions.
“However, if you analyze this trend… 92 percent of the deaths occurring in Komfo Anokye are from outside,” Dr. Boateng said.
Health Authorities Strengthen Interventions
In response to the situation, health authorities say they are strengthening interventions across the maternal referral chain.
Measures include clinical mentorship, quarterly reviews of maternal deaths and the introduction of a virtual labour room system.
The virtual system is expected to enable specialists to provide remote support to health workers at facilities outside major referral centres, particularly when dealing with complicated cases.
Dr. Boateng said stronger coordination and feedback mechanisms would also be essential to improving maternal outcomes.
The interventions come as Ghana races against time to reduce maternal mortality to the SDG target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
For the Ashanti Region, health authorities say reducing preventable maternal deaths will require early detection of complications, faster referrals and stronger capacity at health facilities before patients reach major referral hospitals.
