In Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region, a campaign termed "zero tolerance for maternal fatalities due to unsafe abortion" has begun.
The launch's subject, "end unnecessary maternal deaths and disabilities due to unsafe abortion," included a demand for substantial and strategic policies and programmes to lower the high maternal morbidity and mortality rate in the nation.
Despite Ghanaian legislation permitting abortion in some situations, Dr. Emmanuel Kofi Dzotsi, Regional Director of Health Services, who made the appeal, stated that access to safe abortion services remained a major barrier.
"Access to abortion services is still a barrier," he added, "despite the progress achieved in enhancing access to safe and economical services by expanding providers in complete abortion care services."
He noted that "there remains a sizeable unmet need for family planning services, a low contraceptive prevalence rate, a high rate of unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortion associated with high mortality rate," adding that "access to maternal health services is still limited, particularly for the majority of the population who live in urban slums and rural communities."
31 maternal fatalities were reported in the area in 2019, 36 in 2020, and 43 in 2021, all minor increases from the 31 recorded in 2019.
Figures
Dr. Dzotsi said, "Unsafe abortion is contributing considerably to maternal mortality, with its complications accounting for 9.2% of direct maternal fatalities as contained in Ghana," during the launch of the campaign last Tuesday to reduce maternal deaths due to unsafe abortion in the area.
He pointed out that about one in six Ghanaian women of reproductive age have undergone unsafe abortions, with nearly one in three rural women resorting to illegal and immoral means of abortion.
Regarding the statistics in the area, he said "about 25 cases of post-abortion complications as well as 647 cases of induced abortions were reported to health facilities throughout the region," indicating that complications of unsafe abortion accounted for three percent of direct maternal mortality between 2019 and 2021.
Media's function
In order to drastically reduce maternal fatalities from unsafe abortions in the area, he urged the media to play a crucial role in the campaign's implementation.
In order to preserve the lives of women who pass away while trying to end pregnancies via illegal and risky techniques, he urged media professionals to participate as ambassadors and champions for the cause.
In order to preserve the lives of pregnant women, he stated, "it is crucial for all stakeholders to coordinate effectively toward solving the issue of maternal fatalities."
Pro-life services
At response to a query on the high cost of abortion services in medical facilities, Dr. Josephat Nyuzaghl, Deputy Director of Public Health, said there were ongoing national discussions to settle on a standard pricing to be paid across the board.
He stated that some women may have chosen illegal and risky techniques that resulted in complications and maternal fatalities because there was no set price for abortion services provided by medical facilities.
According to him, the National Health Insurance Scheme's minimum package should include comprehensive abortion services as part of its overall approach to addressing the cost barrier to abortion services (NHIS).