By Samira Larbie
Accra, Oct. 31, GNA – Health professionals have urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinics regularly to reduce pregnancy-related complications and maternal deaths.
They also called on husbands, partners and family members to accompany pregnant women to antenatal clinics to help them understand the importance of routine medical examinations, laboratory tests and scans in ensuring safe deliveries.
The health professionals gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency when Ayewamu by Jane, a local restaurant as part of activities marking its seventh anniversary, visited the hospitals to settle the bills of mothers who had delivered but lacked the financial means to pay.
The call comes amid continuing concerns over maternal mortality in Ghana. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and its United Nations partner agencies, Ghana recorded an estimated maternal mortality ratio of 234 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023.
Globally, an estimated 260,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2023, equivalent to more than 700 deaths daily, or approximately one every two minutes. Most of these deaths were preventable, WHO said in its April 2025 report on maternal mortality trends.
The figures underscore the need to strengthen access to quality maternal healthcare, including antenatal services, skilled delivery care and timely management of pregnancy-related complications.
Ms Mabel Osei-Owusu, In-Charge of the Maternity Lying-In Ward at the Achimota Hospital, said some women who reported to health facilities only when they were ready to deliver faced complications because they had not received the necessary antenatal care.
She cited a recent case involving a woman who arrived at the facility in labour without having undergone most of the required laboratory tests or a scan, making her management difficult.
Ms Osei-Owusu said although the health team was able to manage the case, the situation highlighted the risks associated with not attending antenatal clinics.
She explained that antenatal care enabled health professionals to monitor the health of pregnant women and their unborn babies, provide appropriate medication, identify potential risks early and plan for delivery.
“If she had come to antenatal, I don’t think she would have gotten this bad cervical tear and then bled,” she said, referring to the complications experienced by the woman.
A cervical tear or laceration is damaged to the tissue of the cervix, the lower, narrow part of the uterus that connects to the vagina and may occur during childbirth.
Ms Osei-Owusu urged pregnant women to take advantage of antenatal services, which she said were provided free of charge, to receive the necessary care throughout their pregnancies.
She said husbands and other support persons had an important role to play in encouraging women to attend antenatal clinics and ensuring that they understood the need for recommended tests and scans.
According to her, some men believed that their wives were charged substantial amounts at antenatal clinics but accompanying them would help them appreciate the services and medications provided at no cost.
She noted that on weekly basis the hospital received women with such situations adding that the woman involved mostly arrived at the facility without any family member, underscoring the need for stronger family support for expectant mothers.
Ms Emma Nyacsikor, Senior Midwifery Officer at the Labour Ward of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, also advised expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinics and prepare adequately for childbirth.
She said birth preparedness should include making the necessary financial arrangements and obtaining essential items required for safe delivery.
The health professionals emphasized that regular antenatal attendance, early identification of pregnancy-related risks, adequate birth preparedness and support from family members were important measures towards preventing avoidable complications and maternal deaths.
They urged expectant mothers to seek antenatal care early and follow the advice of qualified health professionals throughout pregnancy to improve outcomes for both mothers and their babies.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter: Samira Larbie