The Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, has said that maternal mortality remains a major human rights and development challenge that demands   immediate global attention and coordinated action.

Speaking at the 59th session of the Commission on Population and Development in New York, he said maternal deaths in Africa were not just numbers but human tragedies that reflected the gaps in healthcare systems and inequality in access to care.

“This is not a statistic; it is a call to action,” he said, referencing global health data from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Dr Pelpuo stressed that maternal mortality went beyond health, describing it as a question of equity, justice and human rights.

He said no woman should lose her life while giving life, especially when medical tools and innovations existed to prevent such deaths, and therefore, urged countries to move from commitments to measurable actions that improved outcomes for women and families.

Political will

The minister said that Africa had shown strong political will through continental frameworks such as African Union Agenda 2063, African Health Strategy (2016-2030) and Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa Plus (The CARMMA Plus) initiative) of AU, 2021.

He also said that Ghana had implemented key interventions to strengthen maternal healthcare delivery, such as free maternal healthcare under the National Health Insurance Scheme, High-level Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Rescue (PRIMER), Strengthened Community-based Health Planning and Services programme, among others, to improve maternal survival rates.

The minister highlighted the use of telemedicine, mobile health systems and digital tracking tools which he said would improve pregnancy monitoring and emergency response in remote areas.

Financing

Dr Pelpuo further called for increased domestic financing of health systems, stressing the need to reduce dependence on external funding.

He also said that there was the need for stronger collaboration among governments, development partners and the private sector to scale up maternal health interventions.

The minister said innovative financing models, including co-financing and other funding systems, supported by the United Nations Population Fund, had shown strong results in improving health outcomes.

He also emphasised the role of parliamentarians in ensuring accountability and sustained investment in health systems.

The minister said lawmakers must advocate for increased budget allocations, strengthen legal frameworks and ensure oversight of maternal health policies.

Call to action

Dr Pelpuo called for collective global action to strengthen health systems and eliminate preventable maternal deaths in Africa.

“Every maternal death is preventable.

Every life lost is one too many,”  he said, urging stakeholders to act with urgency.