Is Korle-Bu now a dumping ground for maternal deaths?

Most of the maternal deaths at Ghana’s Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) are referred emergency cases from other hospitals and clinics, according to Dr. Dsane of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH).

Speaking to the Maternal Health Channel (MHC), he says that sadly most of the women die within 24 hours.


The majority of these pregnant women come from the second-tier clinics from the poor neighbourhoods such as Mamprobi, Kasoa and Mamobi. MHC interviewed a midwife from one of these clinics who said: “As for us we don’t have maternal mortality. As soon as something is about to happen, we transfer them to Korle Bu.”


In the documentary accompanying the programme, to be shown on GTV and TV3 this week, many of the emergency cases arrive at KBTH unaccompanied and in local taxis. Many are not even sure where to go to get immediate attention when they arrive.

In critical emergencies, crucial time is lost during the first few hours of their arrival at Korle Bu. They usually arrive with no medical records. This leads to delays which can be fatal. Their medical histories and medical cases are unknown, the medical staff do not know their blood type or whether they could react negatively to some medication. These necessary procedures can cause delays and deaths.


MHC TV is this week tackling these issues with a lively discussion on GTV Thursday 8pm, TV3 Friday 8.30pm.