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Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has instructed the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response (PRIMER) to ensure the safe return of pregnant women and their newborns to their homes after receiving medical attention. She emphasized that PRIMER should not operate independently, but rather enhance existing systems and address gaps that continue to endanger women and infants.

Speaking at the initiative's launch, the Vice President stressed that the key metric for PRIMER's success should be the safe return of women and their babies, not merely their attendance at health facilities. "It is not enough for many more women to enter our health facilities. They must return home safely with their babies to their families," she stressed.

The Vice President identified three pillars guiding PRIMER's implementation: political leadership and social mobilization, institutional accountability and evidence-based action, and financing. She highlighted the need for PRIMER to foster collaboration among government ministries, local authorities, traditional leaders, civil society organizations, the private sector, and communities.

The second pillar emphasizes the necessity of transparent accountability and data-driven decision-making to identify strengths, gaps, and areas for improvement. PRIMER will also prioritize financing for sustained domestic funding and responsible external support, focusing on maternity and newborn care, referral and transport systems, access to essential medical supplies, community engagement, and effective data utilization.

While acknowledging the importance of addressing maternal health within the health sector, the Vice President emphasized the need for PRIMER to work in tandem with institutions responsible for factors such as transportation, communication, and water supply. She called for stakeholder cooperation and urged families and communities to contribute to maternal health by encouraging early medical attention, recognizing warning signs, and supporting women in seeking timely care.

PRIMER, a five-year national response, encompasses five pillars: political commitment and mobilization, institutional accountability, sustainable financing, the Maternal Mortality Reduction Accelerated Action and Response Programme, and intersectoral coordination. Despite near-universal access to antenatal care and skilled delivery, maternal survival rates remain stagnant, prompting PRIMER's design to bridge this gap.