The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate is strengthening clinical mentorship and introducing a virtual labour ward as part of efforts to reduce maternal deaths in the region.
The move follows data showing that 92 per cent of maternal deaths recorded at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in 2025 involved referrals from peripheral health facilities, with only eight per cent originating from the hospital.
The figures were presented at the Mid-Year Performance Review of KATH, highlighting concerns over the quality of care and referral systems at facilities that transfer complicated maternal cases to the teaching hospital.
Ashanti Regional Health Director, Dr Fred Adomako-Boateng, said the data suggested that efforts to reduce maternal deaths must extend beyond KATH and focus on strengthening care at the point of referral.
According to the data, Ghana recorded 235 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2025, while the Ashanti Region recorded 196 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The region accounts for about one in every four maternal deaths recorded nationally.
Dr Adomako-Boateng, however, said the Ashanti Region had recorded an improvement in maternal mortality figures this year despite the worsening national trend.
“For the half year, if you compare the whole country to what we have presently, the figures have increased, but Ashanti, which was leading, has reduced,” he said.
A further breakdown showed that 15 per cent of maternal deaths recorded in the Ashanti Region involved women referred from outside the region, while 85 per cent were from within the region.
Of the total deaths recorded, 62 per cent occurred at KATH, with the remaining 38 per cent occurring at other facilities across the region.
Dr Adomako-Boateng said the figures showed that the challenge was not primarily at KATH but rather at the point where patients were referred.
“Coming together is the beginning, keeping together is progress, but working together is success,” he said.
Clinical mentorship
As part of the response, the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate, with support from UNICEF, is working with KATH to strengthen the capacity of peripheral health facilities through clinical mentorship.
Dr Adomako-Boateng said specialists at KATH who helped develop relevant clinical guidelines would mentor health professionals at district hospitals, private facilities and Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) facilities.
“The people who developed the guidelines are serving as mentors to support district hospitals, private and CHAG facilities. All those people are in Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital,” he said.
The initiative is expected to improve the quality of maternal care at peripheral facilities and reduce avoidable referrals to KATH.
Virtual labour ward
The region is also introducing telemedicine through a virtual labour ward to enable health professionals at peripheral facilities to receive remote support when managing labour and emergency cases.
The system will allow specialists to supervise cases remotely and help determine which patients require referral to KATH for tertiary care.
The initiative is expected to ensure that only cases requiring specialised intervention are transferred to the teaching hospital while improving the management of cases at district and other peripheral facilities.
KATH has also committed to supporting the interventions being rolled out by the Regional Health Directorate.
Chief Executive Officer of KATH, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, said the collaboration would help improve clinical care and the quality of referrals from health facilities in the Ashanti Region and beyond.
“We are grateful to the Regional Director, he has been so helpful. The ultimate objective of this collaboration is to improve clinical care and the quality of referrals from the peripheral hospitals in the region and beyond, especially when it comes to the area of maternal care,” he said.
