Maternal mortality and related factors in Ejisu District, Ghana

A community-based survey on maternal mortality was carried out in the Ejisu health district of Ghana in January and February 1990 to identify all women who died in pregnancy, delivery or the puerperium from January 1985 to December 1989, determine their characteristics, the presumptive causes of death and related factors. Forty-four women who died in pregnancy, delivery or the puerperium were identified over the stated period. 59% were aged between 20 and 34 years. Eighty-two percent were married and sixty-six percent had at least primary education. Based on an average crude birth rate of 40 per 1000 population for the district over the period, the lowest maternal mortality rate occurred in 1988, 120 per 100,000 total births and the highest occurred a year later, 235 per 100,000 total births. The main presumptive causes of maternal mortality in the district were postpartum haemorrhage 45.5%, jaundice in pregnancy 22.7%, obstructed labour 6.8%, eclampsia 6.8% and fever 4.6%. 59% of them died in a hospital, 2% died at a Government Maternity Home and 7% died during referral from health facilities in the district. Thirty-four percent of the women who died did not attend any antenatal clinic. The actual number of deaths may be underestimated due to the sampling method used and the difficulties encountered in linking survey data with hospital records. Based on the survey findings and other related PMM research, plans have been developed to reduce maternal mortality in the district as outline in the conclusion.