The Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR) has admonished government to strengthen primary healthcare in order to improve maternal health in the country.
According to the civil society group engaged in advocacy for women, children and adolescent health, in spite of the critical roles women play in society, many continue to die or suffer life threatening injuries associated with pregnancy and childbirth.
“The maternal mortality ratio remains high and requires strenuous efforts if Ghana to achieve the sustainable development goal (SDG) target of 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030,” the group said in a statement, signed by Isaac Nyampong, Programme Manager at ARHR.
He said key drivers, including maternal mortality and morbidity, are high unmet needs for family planning (FP), lack of skilled birth attendants and accessible health facilities in hard-to-reach areas.
Mr Nyampong added that with only 47 percent of the potential demand for FP being met, government needs to seriously prioritise investments in FP to reduce preventable maternal morbidities and mortalities.
“Operationalising the provision of FP services under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is long overdue,” he disclosed.
Mr Nyampong further stated that although government has increased the midwife to women in reproductive age population to 52 percent, there is still a huge disparity in access to skilled birth attendant between women living in urban and rural areas.
“The GMHS, 2017 indicates that only 69 percent of pregnant women in rural areas were delivered by a skilled provider as against 91 percent in urban areas,” Mr Nyampong said.
The ARHR, thus, called for the competency of health providers to be built, particularly midwives, improved access to basic emergency obstetric care, strengthen referral systems and increase availability of essential drugs and inputs.
“Furthermore, measures should be put in place to eliminate out-of-pocket payments associated with the free maternal health care policy to enhance the utilisation of maternal health services,” he stated.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri