The Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has received briefing from the Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, on the progress made under the Maternal Mortality Action and Response Programme (MMARP), a Ministry of Health initiative aimed at accelerating efforts to prevent avoidable maternal deaths in Ghana.
The engagement provided an opportunity for the Deputy Minister to share updates on the work being undertaken under MMARP and highlight areas requiring stronger collaboration across sectors to improve maternal health outcomes.
The meeting focused on some of the persistent challenges affecting maternal healthcare delivery, particularly gaps in referral system, the capacity of health facilities to identify and manage high-risk pregnancies early, emergency response and access to timely care.
The engagement also highlighted areas where the two Ministries can work together, particularly on the community and social factors that influence maternal health.
Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey welcomed the engagement and underscored the importance of a coordinated response to maternal mortality, noting that the social and economic circumstances affecting women and girls can influence their ability to access timely healthcare.
She expressed her Ministry’s readiness to support efforts that strengthen community awareness, women’s empowerment and the involvement of families, traditional leaders and other community actors in promoting maternal health.
The two Ministries therefore identified the importance of continued collaboration in addressing the social dimensions of maternal health and ensuring that interventions reach women and girls at the community level.
It is worth nothing that further engagements under MMARP have included interactions with health authorities, traditional leaders, communities and frontline health workers as part of efforts to better understand the factors contributing to maternal deaths and identify practical solutions.
The programme has also placed emphasis on strengthening referral pathways and addressing community-level barriers that can delay access to appreciate maternal healthcare.
