Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Maternal Healthcare in Ghana

• Main Author: Bougangue, Bassoumah
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: unimas 2017
• Subjects: JA Political science (General); JZ International relations
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/20948/3/Bassoumah%20Bougangue%20ft.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/20948/
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

About 99% of the 830 women who die every day from maternal causes worldwide are from developing countries. Regardless of the 45% improvement in maternal deaths in 2013, the WHO recorded an increase in indirect causes of maternal deaths from 9.1% in 1990 to 10.2% in 2013. Africa contributes only 14% of global population but accounts for more than half of global maternal deaths. The WHO/World Bank current estimate of Ghana's maternal mortality ratio at 320/100,000 live births is unacceptably high in the face of interventions such as National Health Insurance Scheme, safe motherhood protocol and national ambulance system amongst others. Between 2011 and 2012 the Northern Region of Ghana recorded the highest maternal deaths of 302 with 72.8% home deliveries, out of which about 36% were assisted by untrained traditional birth attendants.