Govt Steps Up Fight Against Maternal Deaths In Northern Region

Story by Fada Amakye

The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has intensified government efforts to reduce maternal deaths and strengthen emergency healthcare in the Northern Region.

This week, she led community engagements and support for specialized nursing training under the government’s Maternal Mortality Action and Response Programme (MMARP). The programme aims to cut preventable maternal deaths through closer collaboration between health authorities, traditional leaders and local communities.

On the second day of her tour, Dr. Ayensu-Danquah visited Adibo and Gbungbaliga in the Yendi Municipality. She met community leaders, inspected health facilities and listened to concerns about gaps in maternal healthcare services.

She paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Gbungbaliga Traditional Area, Naa Bapri Gbungbal-Naa Abdallah Abudu Sulemana, and toured the Adibo Health Centre, the Gbungbaliga CHPS compound, and the Yendi Municipal Hospital.

The visits sought to identify local challenges contributing to maternal deaths and build grassroots support for government interventions.

Addressing residents and elders, the Deputy Minister said the Ministry of Health remains committed to urgent healthcare needs, especially for pregnant women and newborns.

She announced that under the government’s Free Primary Health Care initiative, community health workers with mobile health backpacks will regularly visit homes to provide maternal and child health services.

The outreach, she said, will bring care closer to vulnerable populations, particularly women in remote areas who face barriers during pregnancy and childbirth.

She also urged households to adopt healthy diets using locally available foods, noting that proper nutrition is key to improving maternal and child health outcomes.

Traditional leaders welcomed the visit and appealed for more health workers, facility expansion, staff accommodation, transport for outreach, reliable drug supplies and backup power for the Adibo Health Centre and Gbungbaliga CHPS compound.

Beyond maternal health, Dr. Ayensu-Danquah championed emergency healthcare training in Tamale.

At the Nurses’ and Midwives’ Training College, she welcomed 49 students admitted into the college’s first Bachelor of Science in Emergency Nursing Programme.

“Your clients are waiting for you at the door of every emergency room in this country,” she told the students, urging discipline, ethics and dedication.

She described the programme as a milestone under the government’s Reset Agenda and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as _Mahama Cares_, aimed at strengthening the health system through specialized training.

The Principal of NMTC Tamale, Dr. Abdulai Abdul-Malik, also urged the pioneer students to pursue academic excellence and practical skills.

The Deputy Minister’s visit coincides with an ongoing orientation in Tamale for advisory board members of health training institutions. Held under the theme _“Effective Governance, Role Clarity and Collaboration,”_ the programme seeks to improve leadership and quality of health training nationwide.

Together, the maternal health outreach, emergency nursing programme and governance reforms form part of broader government efforts to build a stronger health workforce and improve healthcare delivery across the country.