The Deputy Minister for Health, Prof Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has begun the second day of her Greater Accra Regional tour under the Maternal Mortality Action and Response Programme (MMARP) with visits to the Ga West Municipal Health Directorate and the Amasaman Municipal Hospital to assess maternal healthcare delivery.
‎
‎During the tour, Prof Ayensu-Danquah met the Member of Parliament for the Amasaman Constituency, Sedem Afenyo, together with the management and staff of the two health facilities to review the municipality’s maternal mortality situation, examine referral linkages with higher-level health facilities and discuss practical measures to improve maternal health outcomes.
‎
‎The Deputy Minister also inspected the maternity and theatre units of the Amasaman Municipal Hospital to evaluate the facility’s preparedness to manage obstetric emergencies and provide quality maternal healthcare services.
‎
‎Health workers used the engagement to outline several operational challenges affecting the delivery of maternal healthcare. They cited the lack of essential diagnostic equipment, including ultrasound scanning and laboratory services, inadequate infrastructure for critical services, the absence of an anaesthesia machine and an anaesthetist, as well as the lack of an institutional ambulance.
‎
‎According to the health professionals, the absence of an ambulance continues to delay the referral of emergency obstetric cases to higher-level facilities, increasing risks for mothers requiring specialised care.
‎
‎The Greater Accra regional tour forms part of the Ministry of Health’s Maternal Mortality Action and Response Programme, which seeks to identify gaps in maternal healthcare delivery and implement targeted interventions aimed at reducing preventable maternal deaths across the region.
