Zero Maternal Deaths, but Stillbirths Remain: Lessons from the Greater Accra Zone 2 Review.

A good statistic can hide a hard truth. At the Zonal Maternal and Perinatal Deaths Review Meeting, held on 22nd October 2026 at the Heartland Hotel in Ada Foah, health leaders had real progress to celebrate because Zone 2 recorded zero maternal deaths in the period under review. Even so, the room spent most of its time on the babies who did not survive, and on what the health system must change so that fewer families face that loss.

Who gathered, and why

The Ada East District Health Directorate hosted the Ghana Health Service meeting for the Greater Accra Region. Regional representatives, district directors, medical superintendents, and paediatric and maternity heads from Ada East, Ada West, Ashaiman and Ningo-Prampram all took part, so decision-makers and frontline clinicians were able to speak to one another directly.

The Deputy Chief Nursing Officer of Ada East, Mrs. Vivian Okpojah, opened the meeting and welcomed participants. The District Director of Health Services, Rev. Dr. Heubert Hunkpatin, then set the tone by reminding everyone that the death of a child leaves a lifelong scar on a mother and her family. For that reason, he called on all health workers to work together toward zero maternal and neonatal deaths across the region. A regional representative then delivered remarks on behalf of the Regional Director of Health Services.

Regional representative addressing the Zone 2 maternal and perinatal deaths review meeting

The regional representative speaking on behalf of the Regional Director of Health Services.

The numbers: progress and a warning

Dr. Esther Priscilla Baimah Danquah presented the zonal statistics, which covered delivery outcomes, maternal and perinatal mortality, and trends across the zone. Two findings stood out. First, the zone recorded zero maternal mortality over the review period, and the meeting praised this achievement. Second, April and June emerged as the peak months for maternal and perinatal deaths. Because of this, senior and experienced midwives should be paired with junior staff during shifts, particularly in those high-risk months.

Participants following the zonal statistics presentation at the maternal and perinatal deaths review meeting

A section of participants during the presentation of zonal statistics.

Speaking for the District Chief Executive, Nene Togbui Agyeman Proper congratulated staff on the 0% institutional maternal mortality. However, he also drew attention to the rising number of stillbirths, which he described as the next challenge. He added that the District Assembly has made funds available to build and renovate the Kasseh and Pediatorkope Health Centres and to equip them, which shows the Assembly's commitment to health infrastructure.

Health workers attending a presentation at the Zone 2 review meeting in Ada Foah

Participants listening during the session on stillbirths and the DCE's solidarity message.

Inside the review: seven stillbirths

Dr. Emmanuel Odonkor, Clinical Coordinator for Ada East, presented seven cases of fresh stillbirth, together with the interventions made, the gaps found and the recommendations for each. Taken together, the cases show how a single weak link can cost a life.

Shoulder dystocia with late referral. A prolonged second stage of labour and a delayed referral led to the loss. As a result, staff were reminded to follow referral protocols strictly, and the obstetrician-gynaecologist (OBGY) was tasked with retraining staff at sub-district facilities.
Three cases of cord prolapse. Late antenatal care (ANC) booking, poor health-seeking behaviour, and lapses in monitoring and follow-up were behind these cases. Therefore, the team recommended stronger community education on early booking, strict adherence to monitoring protocols, and ambulances that are ready for prompt referral.
An oxygen stock-out. One facility ran out of oxygen at a critical moment. Consequently, the meeting insisted that every delivery facility must have an uninterrupted oxygen supply at all times.
A twin delivery. Late booking contributed to the loss of the first twin, which underlines the need for early booking as well as skilled management of twin pregnancies.
External cephalic version (ECV) in a multiparous woman. The case was reviewed so that clinicians could draw lessons and sharpen their decision-making.

What is working at Ashaiman Municipal Hospital

While Ada East shared its gaps, a representative from Ashaiman Municipal Hospital showed what is already working. Mothers are monitored promptly on admission, and babies weighing less than 2.5 kg are quickly transferred to the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In addition, space has been created for resuscitating critically ill mothers and newborns, and midwives are encouraged to assess and record an Apgar score for every newborn so that interventions happen on time.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Adam observed that both presentations pointed to similar gaps, and that these call for almost the same interventions. This is a strong argument for tackling them as a zone rather than facility by facility.

The way forward

To turn the discussions into results, participants agreed to hold zonal maternal and perinatal death reviews every quarter and to organise blood donation drives at ANC clinics and in communities. They also agreed to intensify staff capacity building, to notify deaths early and enter, validate and report the data promptly, and finally, to implement every recommendation fully and evaluate progress continuously.

Action points: training and supervision

The training agenda is specific. Staff at CHPS compounds will receive virtual (Zoom) training, and the districts will hold weekly in-service sessions to strengthen day-to-day practice. Moreover, OBGYs will make scheduled visits to peripheral facilities so that they can see operational challenges first-hand.

Midwives at health centres and CHPS compounds will be trained in:

Shoulder dystocia
Cord prolapse
Premature rupture of membranes (PROM)
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, with retraining on its protocols
Comprehensive labour ward management
Effective management of the second stage of labour

Fetal surveillance will also be strengthened, because the status of the fetal heart rate determines the safety of the pregnancy. Furthermore, midwives were urged to maximise ANC bookings and identify high-risk clients early. They should also improve their history taking instead of relying too heavily on scans and laboratory tests.

What this means for mothers and families

For expectant mothers, the message is clear: book antenatal care early and attend regularly, because several of the stillbirths reviewed were linked to late booking. Know the danger signs, and go to a health facility without delay when they appear.

Zero maternal deaths shows what teamwork can achieve. Yet the Zone 2 districts have not stopped at celebrating it, since they have chosen to examine every loss honestly and act on what they find.

Participants at the Zone 2 Maternal and Perinatal Deaths Review Meeting at Heartland Hotel, Ada Foah

Comments

Genital Herpes: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Prevention

An evidence-based guide to a common, lifelong and entirely manageable infection. Genital herpes is not a rare affliction visited upon the careless. It is one of the most widespread viral infections in human history, and the majority of people who carry it will never know. The World Health Organization estimates that roughly 520 million people aged 15 to 49 were living with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in 2020, while a further 376 million carried a genital HSV-1 infection yet only about 205 million of them experienced any recognisable symptom that year. The virus is everywhere; awareness of it is not. That gap matters because herpes spreads most efficiently from people who have no sores, no warning signs, and no reason to suspect they are infectious. Understanding how the virus actually behaves how it invades, how it hides, and how it resurfaces is therefore the single most effective protection available. And the reassurance almost nobody hears at diagnosi...

Sleep Hygiene Explained: Why Poor Sleep Damages Your Health, and Five Techniques That Help You Fall Asleep Faster

Sleep is not a passive shutdown of the brain. While the body rests, it is engaged in active, essential work: repairing muscle tissue, consolidating memory, regulating hormones, and clearing metabolic waste products from brain tissue through a process known as glymphatic clearance. When that process is consistently disrupted through poor sleep hygiene, the consequences extend well beyond next day tiredness. Tracking sleep, recovery, and activity patterns over time can help identify disruption before it becomes chronic. The WHOOP Peak Membership offers continuous activity and sleep tracking with personalized coaching insights for people who want daily visibility into these patterns. What Sleep Hygiene Actually Means Sleep hygiene refers to the set of habits and environmental conditions that determine how well and how consistently a person sleeps. It is not a single behavior but a cumulative pattern, covering light exposure, timing, temperature, diet, and the associations a pe...

Burn First Aid: What Your Skin Does in the First 20 Minutes, and Why Ice Makes It Worse.

A pot of boiling water misses the stove and splashes across your forearm. There is a half second of nothing, and then pain, redness, and a frantic mental search: Toothpaste? Butter? Ice? What did grandma say to do? Here's the uncomfortable truth: in those first minutes, your burn is still actively getting worse, even after the hot water is gone. What you do (and what you refuse to put on your skin) can decide whether the injury stays minor or becomes something that follows a person for the rest of their life. According to the World Health Organization, burns kill an estimated 180,000 people every year, with most deaths occurring in low and middle income countries. The majority of burns happen in homes and workplaces, which means the first responder is almost never a doctor. It's a parent, a colleague, or the person standing next to the stove. That makes burn first aid one of the few life skills that is genuinely useful to everyone. Your Skin Is Not Packaging. It's a Work...

What Cannabis Really Does to Your Brain: The Hidden Effects Most Users Never Expect.

What Science Says About Cannabis and Your Mind Introduction Picture this: you're in the middle of a conversation when suddenly your mind goes blank. The word you wanted to say disappears. The point you were making vanishes. Everyone waits while you struggle to reconnect the dots. You laugh it off and blame distraction, stress, or lack of sleep. But what if those moments are not random? For millions of cannabis users worldwide, occasional forgetfulness, reduced focus, and mental fog may be signs of something happening deeper inside the brain. While cannabis is often viewed as harmless especially as legalization expands across many countries, scientists have spent decades studying its effects on memory, attention, mood, motivation, and brain development. The debate is no longer about whether cannabis affects the brain. The scientific evidence is clear: it does. The more important question is how much, how often, and who is most at risk. Understanding these effects is not abou...

Know Your Normal: What Your Breasts Feel Like Before Anything Goes Wrong.

Picture Ama, 38, who sells provisions at a market in Accra. One evening in the bath she feels a small, firm spot in her left breast, up toward the armpit. It doesn't hurt. Her period is due, so she tells herself it will settle. It doesn't settle, and months go by. Ama is a composite character, not a real patient. Her timeline is real, though. In a three year study of 158 patients at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, the average duration of symptoms before treatment was about 10 months, and 57.6% arrived with stage III or IV disease. This article is about closing that gap: what normal breasts look like, which changes deserve a professional's attention, and how fast to act. The numbers behind Ama's story Ghana. At Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, 85.2% of patients with confirmed breast cancer presented at stage III or IV, and the disease affected mostly younger, premenopausal women. At Korle Bu, the most commonly affected age group was 40 to 49. This is not...

Eczema, Why Your Skin Itches, Cracks and Flares.

The Itch That Takes Over Your Day It starts small: a dry, itchy patch on the inner elbow, the back of the knee or the side of the neck. You scratch. It feels good for about five seconds. Then the itch comes back stronger, and the skin turns rough, tight or darker than the skin around it. Some nights the itching wakes you up. Some days you wear long sleeves in the heat so no one asks about it. Then the advice arrives from everywhere: "It's an allergy." "Your blood is dirty." "Try this soap, this herbal mix, this cream that worked for my cousin." Most of this advice is well meant, and much of it is wrong. Here is what is actually happening in your skin when you have eczema, and what you can do about it. What Is Eczema? Eczema (also called dermatitis) is a group of conditions that cause dry, itchy, inflamed skin. The most common type is atopic dermatitis , and when people say "eczema" they usually mean this one. Other types include: Irr...

Get Your Blood Moving: 10 Easy Exercises You Can Do Anywhere.

Think about the last time you sat through a long trotro ride, a full day at the office, a lengthy church service or an evening of television. When you finally stood up, did your legs feel heavy, your feet stiff or your ankles a little puffy? That feeling is your body asking for movement. And the good news is that answering it does not require a gym, special clothes or a big block of free time. Why Movement Matters for Blood Flow Your heart is the pump that sends blood around your body, carrying oxygen and nutrients to your muscles, brain, skin and organs. But getting blood back to the heart is a different challenge, especially from your feet and legs. The blood has to travel upward, against gravity. This is where your muscles come in. Each time your calf muscles tighten, they squeeze the veins running through them, and tiny one-way valves inside those veins keep the blood moving toward the heart rather than slipping backward. Doctors sometimes call the calves the "sec...

5 Powerful Exercises to Undo the Damage of Sitting All Day.

You may not smoke, drink excessively, or eat unhealthy foods but if you sit for long hours every day, your health could still be at serious risk. From office workers in Accra to drivers, students, and traders, many people spend most of their day seated. What feels harmless, just sitting can quietly damage your body over time. The good news? A few simple exercises can reverse much of that damage. What’s Wrong with Sitting Too Long Sitting for extended periods slows down your body’s natural systems. When you remain seated for hours, your muscles become inactive, your blood circulation reduces, and your metabolism drops. Over time, your body begins to “shut down” in subtle ways. In Ghana, many jobs now involve prolonged sitting like the bank workers, office staff, teachers, drivers, and even students preparing for exams. Unfortunately, most people do not take breaks or move enough during the day. The result is stiffness, fatigue, and long-term health risks that often go unnoticed until th...

Suicide Prevention: Warning Signs, Myths, and How to Actually Help (2026 Guide)

What the Science Actually Says About Saving a Life Most advice on suicide prevention starts with a list of warning signs. This one starts somewhere more useful: understanding what a suicidal crisis actually is, because that understanding changes how you respond to one. A Suicidal Crisis Is Usually Temporary, Even When It Doesn't Feel That Way One of the most important, and least publicized, findings in suicide research is that the acute desire to die is often short lived. Richard Seiden, a psychologist at UC Berkeley, tracked more than 500 people who were physically stopped from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge between 1937 and 1971. Decades later, over 90 percent of them were either still alive or had died of natural causes. They had not gone on to end their lives by another method. This matters because it contradicts a common assumption: that someone determined to die will simply find another way if one attempt is blocked. In reality, suicidal crises tend to ...

"The Alpha Health Insights"

Search This Blog