KATH Records 30% decline in maternal deaths in the first half of the year in 10 years
The Maternity Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, has recorded a 30 per cent reduction in institutional maternal deaths during the first half of 2026, marking the first such decline in a decade.
The hospital recorded 55 maternal deaths between January and June 2026, compared with 78 deaths recorded during the same period in 2025.
KATH, which serves patients from 12 regions across the country, attributed the improvement to a number of strategic interventions aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery, particularly within the Maternity Unit.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, Dr (Med) Paa Kwesi Baidoo, disclosed the figures at the hospital’s 2026 mid-year performance review conference.
Maternal Intensive Care Unit
Dr Baidoo said the reduction in maternal deaths was achieved through deliberate measures, including the strategic operationalisation of the hospital’s Maternal Intensive Care Unit (ICU), with support from specialists in anaesthesia and intensive care.
He explained that although the ICU was designed to accommodate eight beds, only four were currently operational, with plans to bring the remaining four into service by the end of the year.
“We believe that this will further reduce our maternal mortality rates,” he stressed.
Strengthening Clinical Mentorship
The CEO also disclosed that KATH had intensified its collaboration with the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service to implement a sustained clinical mentorship and capacity-building programme for peripheral health facilities.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening clinical care and improving the quality of referrals from hospitals and health facilities within the region and beyond, particularly in the area of maternal healthcare.
Dr Baidoo noted that KATH had historically recorded the highest number of maternal deaths in the country largely because of its strategic location and the high volume of complicated referrals it receives from outside the region.
He stressed that the figures should not be interpreted as an indication of poor-quality care at the hospital.
First Public Specialist Fertility Centre
Dr Baidoo further announced that work on the hospital’s Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Centre had been completed, paving the way for the facility to become fully operational within the month.
He said the development had positioned KATH as the first public health facility in the country to establish a specialist fertility centre dedicated to providing assisted reproductive services to people who require such medical support.
Dialysis Centre Reopens
The CEO also announced the reopening of KATH’s main dialysis centre following an extensive refurbishment.
He said the reopening would increase public access to specialist dialysis services.
“The centre currently has about 13 dialysis machines functioning, with the rest stationed at the Accident and Emergency Centre,” he added.
Ashanti Region’s Maternal Mortality Figures
The Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Fred Adomako-Boateng, disclosed that the region recorded maternal mortality ratios of 195 and 197 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
According to him, the figures accounted for about 25 per cent of the country’s total maternal deaths during the respective periods.
He called on all stakeholders to work together to tackle maternal mortality comprehensively and prevent women from losing their lives during childbirth.
He expressed optimism that the downward trend recorded so far would continue, saying that sustained efforts could lead to a further reduction in maternal deaths by the end of the year.
