The what’s, where’s and why’s of miscarriage: evidence from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey
Objectives: Miscarriage remains a significant public health challenge in most low- and middle-income settings, including Ghana. We thus examined the sociodemographic and maternal characteristics associated with miscarriage in Ghana using the 2017 Maternal Health Survey dataset. Study design: This was a cross-sectional quantitative study. Methods: We quantitatively analysed Ghana Maternal and Health Survey dataset. Demographic […]
Impact of free maternal health care policy on maternal health care utilization and perinatal mortality in Ghana: protocol design for historical cohort study
Background: Ghana introduced what has come to be known as the ‘Free’ Maternal Health Care Policy (FMHCP) in 2008 via the free registration of pregnant women to the National Health Insurance Scheme to access healthcare free of charge. The policy targeted every pregnant woman in Ghana with a full benefits package covering comprehensive maternal healthcare. […]
Perceived barriers to maternal and newborn health services delivery: A qualitative study of health workers and community members in low and middle-income settings
Objectives In considering explanations for poor maternal and newborn health outcomes, many investigations have focused on the decision-making patterns and actions of expectant mothers and families, as opposed to exploring the â € supply side’ (health service provider) barriers. Thus, we examined the health system factors impacting on access to and delivery of quality maternal […]
Quality of antenatal care predicts retention in skilled birth attendance: A multilevel analysis of 28 African countries
Background: An effective continuum of maternal care ensures that mothers receive essential health packages from pre-pregnancy to delivery, and postnatally, reducing the risk of maternal death. However, across Africa, coverage of skilled birth attendance is lower than coverage for antenatal care, indicating mothers are not retained in the continuum between antenatal care and delivery. This […]
Care Decision Making of Frontline Providers of Maternal and Newborn Health Services in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana
Objectives: To explore the “how” and “why” of care decision making by frontline providers of maternal and newborn services in the Greater Accra region of Ghana and determine appropriate interventions needed to support its quality and related maternal and neonatal outcomes. Methods: A cross sectional and descriptive mixed method study involving a desk review of […]
The Experience of Ghana in Implementing a User Fee Exemption Policy to Provide Free Delivery Care
In resource-poor countries, the high cost of user fees for deliveries limits access to skilled attendance, and contributes to maternal and neonatal mortality and the impoverishment of vulnerable households. A growing number of countries are experimenting with different approaches to tackling financial barriers to maternal health care. This paper describes an innovative scheme introduced in […]
Understanding the Continuum of Maternal Morbidity in Accra, Ghana
The objective was to determine the levels of maternal morbidity from no complications to near miss and describe factors associated with different levels of morbidity. We conducted an observational study of all women delivering at a tertiary hospital in Accra, Ghana between October 2010 and March 2011. We examined the factors associated with the continuum […]
The health MDGs in Ghana: lessons and implications for the implementation of the sustainable development goals
Purpose: The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), an initiative by the United Nations, consisted of eight broad goals, which were envisaged to improve the living conditions of the world’s populations. In spite of the momentum and investments made to achieve the MDGs, significant challenges still exist at the global and national levels. In Ghana, the attainment […]
Towards elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Ghana: An analysis of national programme data
Background: Despite global scale up of interventions for Preventing Mother to child HIV Transmissions (PMTCT), there still remain high pediatric HIV infections, which result from unequal access in resource-constrained settings. Sub-Saharan Africa alone contributes more than 90 % of global Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) burden. As part of efforts to address this, African countries (including Ghana) […]
DRIVERS OF ANAEMIA REDUCTION AMONG WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE IN THE EASTERN AND UPPER WEST REGIONS OF GHANA: A SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS OF THE GHANA DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEYS
Anaemia among women of reproductive age (WRA) increases the risk of pregnancy-related morbidity, mortality, and poor pregnancy outcomes. Globally, there is growing interest to reduce anaemia among WRA. In Ghana, anaemia among WRA declined at the national level between 2008 (59%) and 2014 (42%). There were also important declines at the sub-national level. The Eastern […]
