The Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate recorded 162 stillbirths in 2025, prompting concern among health officials and stakeholders over maternal and newborn health outcomes in the metropolis.
Data presented at the directorate’s annual health performance review showed that 97 of the stillbirths were classified as macerated, while 65 were fresh stillbirths.
The figures contributed significantly to Tema’s perinatal mortality rate, which stood at 45 deaths per 1,000 deliveries during the year.
Presenting the data, Ms Doris Ocansey, Adolescent Reproductive Health Focal Person for the directorate, said perinatal mortality includes fresh and macerated stillbirths as well as early neonatal deaths, defined as the death of a baby within the first seven days of life.
She said an analysis of trends between 2022 and 2025 revealed that while fresh stillbirths had generally declined over the period before recording a slight increase in 2025, macerated stillbirths remained persistently high.
Ms Ocansey expressed concern that high antenatal care attendance in the metropolis was not translating into better pregnancy outcomes.
According to her, antenatal care indicators showed that many pregnant women attended at least four antenatal visits, with some making eight visits or more, surpassing programme targets.
She questioned why the high level of antenatal attendance had not resulted in a corresponding reduction in stillbirths.
“Macerated stillbirths, which occur when a foetus dies before labour begins, are often used as an indicator of the quality and effectiveness of antenatal care services,” she said.
She noted that the continued high number of such cases raised concerns about whether pregnant women were receiving the quality of care needed to detect and manage complications early enough to prevent foetal deaths.
Health officials and stakeholders at the review also raised concerns about early neonatal deaths and called for an assessment of delivery and post-delivery care services to identify gaps affecting newborn survival.
They explained that fresh stillbirths are often linked to undetected foetal distress and delays in clinical decision-making during labour, while macerated stillbirths generally point to challenges occurring during pregnancy before labour begins.
Facility-level data showed that the Tema General Hospital recorded the highest number of stillbirths, accounting for 147 of the 162 cases reported across the metropolis.
Stakeholders stressed the need to strengthen the quality of antenatal care, improve early risk detection, and ensure timely referral and management of high-risk pregnancies to reduce stillbirths and improve newborn survival outcomes.
Source: GNA
