The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service, says 174 pregnant women lost their lives in 2021 during child birth in the region.
Out of the 174 deaths, 11 were due to unsafe abortion complications.
According to the health directorate, one of the biggest challenges to health workers is maternal mortality with unsafe abortions contributing the most to maternal deaths.
The Ashanti Regional Health Director, Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang, described maternal mortality as an ‘injustice’ to pregnant women while speaking at the launch of ‘Zero Tolerance Campaign’ aimed at raising awareness on the menace of unsafe abortion.
“We lose our women through maternal deaths. Last year, Ashanti Region recorded 174 maternal deaths, which means we lost 174 women due to complications of pregnancy. Globally, about 5 to 10 percent of women die through unsafe abortions”
“In Ghana, we want to strengthen safe abortion services and then do away with unsafe abortions. We need to work together to empower them to know what to do in an event of unwanted pregnancy. The campaign will educate and empower them on what to do in the case of an unwanted pregnancy”, said Dr. Tenkorang.
He noted that no woman must die from unsafe abortion and if the pregnancy is unplanned, women should seek professional counselling.
