Skilled delivery coverage has declined from 54% to 59% in Eastern region between 2022 to 2025 threatening maternal healthcare.
Speaking at the 2025 Eastern Regional Annual Performance Review Meeting, the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Damien Punguyire expressed worry yhag the decline remains a major setback in efforts to reduce maternal mortality, which continues to be high in the region at approximately 113 deaths per 100,000 live births.
He stressed that the decline is not just a statistical concern but a serious public health issue, as it reflects the inability of some pregnant women to access safe and supervised delivery services.
“Maternal mortality remains unacceptably high at around 113 deaths per 100,000 live births, and skilled delivery coverage declined from 59 percent in 2022 to about 54 percent in 2025.” He stated.
The Regional Health Director added analysis points to several contributing factors, including the maldistribution of skilled birth attendants across districts, infrastructure gaps in hard-to-reach communities, and the lingering effects of health system disruptions in the post-COVID period.
Dr. Punguyire announced planned interventions include the targeted deployment of midwives to underserved areas, expansion of Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) infrastructure, and strengthening partnerships to address critical access barriers.
“In 2026–2030 plan period, ,the Regional Health Directorate seeks to reverse this trend which “is not optional, it is a moral imperative. We will be intensifying targeted interventions in the districts with the lowest skilled delivery rates, strengthening the deployment of midwives to underserved areas, and working with partners to address the infrastructure barriers that keep women from delivering in safe facilities”.
But in the short term, the Regional Health Directorate is aiming to increase skilled delivery coverage to at least 60 percent by the end of 2026.
The development comes despite improvements in other critical health indicators.
Antenatal care attendance increased from 79 percent in 2022 to 85 percent in 2025, while institutional neonatal mortality declined from 7.8 to 6.2 per 1,000 live births. Malaria case fatality among children under five also dropped significantly.
Eastern regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey assured that government is investing heavily in health sector including infrastructure expansion,strengthening Health Insurance and human resource as it plans to roll out Free Primary healthcare.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
