Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate recorded 162 stillbirths in 2025 — and most of the babies died before their mothers even went into labour.
Data presented at the Directorate’s annual health performance review showed that 97 of those stillbirths were macerated — meaning the foetus died in the womb before labour began. The other 65 were fresh stillbirths, where the baby died during labour or just before delivery.
These figures pushed the metropolis’ perinatal mortality rate to 45 deaths per 1,000 deliveries. Perinatal mortality includes fresh and macerated stillbirths plus early neonatal deaths — babies who die within their first seven days of life.
Doris Ocansey, the Directorate’s Adolescent Reproductive Health Focal Person, presented the statistics. She pointed out a troubling pattern: from 2022 to 2025, stillbirths had generally declined, but 2025 saw a slight increase. Macerated stillbirths stayed persistently high throughout the period.
What baffles health officials is that antenatal care attendance is strong. Many pregnant women made at least four antenatal visits, and some made eight or more — surpassing programme targets. But that high attendance isn't producing better pregnancy outcomes.
“The trend raises concerns about whether pregnant women are receiving the quality of care needed to identify and manage complications early enough to prevent foetal deaths,” Ocansey said.
Macerated stillbirths are a key indicator of antenatal care quality, because they point to complications that occurred during pregnancy — before labour began. Fresh stillbirths, on the other hand, are often linked to undetected foetal distress or delays in clinical decisions during labour.
Facility-level data showed Tema General Hospital recorded the highest number — 147 of the 162 stillbirths across the metropolis. That means one hospital accounted for over 90% of the deaths.
Stakeholders at the review meeting also raised alarms about early neonatal deaths. They called for a review of delivery and post-delivery care services to find gaps affecting newborn survival.
Health officials stressed the need to strengthen the quality of antenatal care, improve early detection of high-risk pregnancies, and ensure timely referral and management. The goal is to reduce preventable stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
Macerated stillbirths happen when a foetus dies before labour begins — often due to conditions like untreated infections, high blood pressure in the mother, or placental problems. These are conditions that antenatal care should catch and manage early.
Fresh stillbirths occur during labour, usually from oxygen deprivation or trauma. Better monitoring during delivery and faster decisions when the baby is in distress can prevent many of them.
The Tema Metro data suggests that while women are coming for check-ups, the care they receive may not be thorough enough to identify problems early. Or there may be gaps in how high-risk pregnancies are followed up and managed.
Health officials said they would review antenatal care protocols, improve training for midwives and nurses, and strengthen referral systems for high-risk pregnancies. They also plan to investigate why Tema General Hospital recorded such a high number of stillbirths compared to other facilities.
The Directorate will present a detailed action plan at the next quarterly review meeting. The goal is to bring down the perinatal mortality rate significantly by the end of 2026.