The Family Planning Acceptor Rate in Ghana’s Eastern Region has recorded a sharp decline, falling from 37% between January and June 2024 to 33.6% during the same period in 2025—well below the national target of 40%.
Alarmed by the trend, the Eastern Regional Health Directorate has called for intensified community engagement, culturally sensitive education, and strengthened contraceptive supply chain management.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), family planning helps individuals prevent unintended pregnancies, reduces pregnancy-related health risks—particularly for adolescent girls—and enables women to pursue education, economic, and employment opportunities, ultimately helping families and communities thrive.
Globally, 874 million people are currently using modern contraceptives, with an additional 70 million women projected to gain access by 2030.
The Eastern Regional Director of Health, Dr. Damien Punguyire, expressed optimism that with the right interventions, the downward trend could be reversed to align with SDG 3.7, which calls for universal access to sexual and reproductive health care, including family planning.
He made this call during the half-year Regional Health Sector Performance Review in Koforidua, themed “Improving Access to Primary Health Care: A Pre-requisite for Achieving Universal Health Coverage.”
The review also highlighted other pressing health concerns. Institutional Maternal Mortality Ratio increased slightly from 116 to 117 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Dr. Punguyire described this as “a stark reminder that maternal health remains fragile and must be prioritized.”
Immunization coverage also faced setbacks, with Penta 3 coverage declining from 100% to 94.2%, signaling lapses in outreach and follow-up.
“Immunization is one of the most cost-effective interventions, and we cannot afford to backslide in this area,” Dr. Punguyire emphasized.
Despite these challenges, the region recorded notable gains:
- Institutional neonatal mortality ratio remained stable at 7 deaths per 1,000 live births.
- Antenatal Care (ANC) first trimester registration improved from 61.5% in 2024 to 64% in 2025, indicating more expectant mothers are accessing care early.
- Stillbirth rate reduced from 12.2/1,000 to 11.2/1,000 births, outperforming the national target of 11.5/1,000.
- Tuberculosis (TB) case notification rose from 82% in 2024 to 89% in 2025, far surpassing the national target of 50%.
- Mother-to-child HIV transmission among infants of HIV-positive mothers dropped from 2.4% in 2024 to 2.1% in 2025.
- Under-five institutional malaria fatality rate declined from 0.03% in 2024 to 0% in 2025, marking a significant milestone in pediatric malaria management.
The Directorate says reversing the family planning decline, alongside sustaining progress in maternal and child health, remains critical to achieving universal health coverage in the region.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
