Prevalence and determinants of maternal mortality in Ghana: a scoping review

Maternal mortality is still a major global public health problem, and lowering it can be a significant sign of a country's overall health success. Between 2000 and 2017, the number of mothers who died worldwide fell by 38%, however, there are still differences between regions. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is still high in places like sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where most of the world's maternal deaths happen. In fact, SSA is responsible for more than two-thirds of all maternal deaths in the world. Nigeria, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are some of the nations with the highest rates of these deaths. Studies have shown that maternal death rates are very high in low-income nations and that worldwide attempts to lower these rates are moving very slowly. The UN Maternal Mortality Report says that certain countries in Asia and Latin America have made amazing progress, while sub-Saharan Africa has not. Maternal healthcare and services have not improved much there. There is a big difference between high-income countries and low-income areas, especially in Africa, when it comes to maternal mortality rates. Maternal death rates have been declining globally, but in certain areas, especially SSA, they have stayed the same or even gone up because of things like underfunded health systems, not enough skilled healthcare professionals, and poor healthcare infrastructure. For instance, SSA's MMR stayed the same from 2000 to 2017, while haemorrhage, eclampsia, and sepsis were some of the primary direct causes of maternal mortality (Okwan, 2021). The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 seeks to lower the number of mothers who die during childbirth to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, however, things have been slow to change in these areas (Olea-ramirez et al., 2024). There are several reasons why maternal mortality rates are so high in Africa. Some of these are socioeconomic circumstances, access to healthcare services, and differences in education. Studies have shown that poverty and geographical location might make it harder for women to get maternal healthcare. For example, Kumbani et al (2013) found that maternal deaths are higher than average in rural locations where women cannot easily get access to trained health care workers. Also, a lot of teenage pregnancies and early marriages make maternal health worse in many African countries. In these areas, socioeconomic level, ethnicity, and cultural customs have a big effect on maternal health. Impoverished women are more likely to have problems during childbirth since they don't have as many resources. There are several factors that might cause maternal death, especially in low- and middle-income nations. Some of these are related to the health system, like how easy it is to get experienced birth attendants, quality healthcare, and easy access to medical supplies (Akinsola et al., 2025). Maternal education and socioeconomic level are also very important factors in shaping maternal health outcomes. For instance, maternal death rates are usually lower in places where women have more education. This is because women are enlightened about their health and able to seek the right medical care. Also, political instability, war, and a lack of health infrastructure are major causes of maternal fatalities in countries with poor governments (Qirbi & Ismail, 2017). Even though there have been a lot of global attempts to lower the number of deaths of mothers, success is still uneven in different parts of the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Some countries have made a lot of progress in improving the health of mothers, but the region as a whole still has a lot of maternal mortality that are higher than average. There are several factors that affect maternal mortality in this area, including socioeconomic, health system, and cultural factors. However, not much is understood about how these elements work together in diverse situations. There are also gaps in figuring out how well certain initiatives work in different economic areas. In Ghana, the fatalities have been widely attributed to complicated interactions of trends and determinants that have continued in spite of several interventions. However, not much reviews have been done. This scoping review aims to map available evidence on trends and determinants of maternal mortality in Ghana. The insights acquired will inform future studies and systematic reviews. In addition, the findings will guide policymakers, healthcare providers and the general public in developing evidence-based interventions that support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which seeks to achieve good health and well-being for all ages (United Nations, 2023). Moreover, philanthropists and stakeholders will be encouraged to give financial and material support to enhance maternal and newborn health activities for improved outcomes.