{
  "id": 1444383,
  "title": "Government to roll out measures to address maternal mortality - Deputy Health Minister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/government-to-roll-out-measures-to-address-maternal-mortality-deputy",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-17T07:39:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "3News",
    "slug": "3news",
    "url": "https://3news.com/news/government-to-roll-out-measures-to-help-address-maternal-mortality-deputy-health-minister"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The government has announced plans to address maternal mortality, with the Deputy Health Minister stating that every pregnancy should be safe and every mother should return home with her newborn. The Ashanti Region in Ghana has been identified as having a high maternal mortality rate, accounting for almost a quarter of all national maternal deaths. According to the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate, the region's maternal mortality ratio rose from 195.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024 to 196.7 per 100,000 live births in 2025.\n\nThe Ashanti Region's maternal mortality ratio is almost three times above the Sustainable Development Goal 3 target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births. The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital has recorded approximately 62% of maternal deaths in the region, with 92% of women who died there referred from outside the region, according to Ashanti Regional Health Director Dr Fred Adomako-Boateng.\n\nThe region's health delivery is under scrutiny, with issues including referral bottlenecks, peripheral staffing gaps, and structural delays contributing to the high maternal mortality rate.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "3News",
        "title": "Upper West Regional Health Directorate records improvement in continuity of maternal care - Director",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/upper-west-regional-health-directorate-records-improvement-in",
        "published": "2026-08-14T18:54:25.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}