The Upper East Regional Health Directorate has reported mixed health outcomes for 2025, with new data showing a slight decline in outpatient attendance alongside concerning increases in maternal deaths and mental health cases.
Presenting the region’s performance at the annual review meeting in Bolgatanga, the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Baba Braimah Abubakari, said outpatient department (OPD) attendance per capita dropped marginally from 1.2 in 2024 to 1.18 in 2025, within a population of over 1.42 million.
Malaria, respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, typhoid fever and anaemia remained the leading causes of hospital visits, reflecting a consistent disease pattern over the years.
In maternal and child health, the region recorded improvements in antenatal care coverage, which increased from 74.28 percent to 83.65 percent. However, early antenatal registration saw only a marginal increase, while maternal deaths rose sharply from 40 to 60 cases—equivalent to 132 deaths per 100,000 live births, far above global targets.
Anaemia in pregnancy remained high, affecting more than 17,000 women, while neonatal mortality also recorded a slight increase.
“While total antenatal coverage increased from 74.28% to 83.65% between 2024 and 2025, first-trimester antenatal coverage stagnated from 60.2% to 60.3%, although it remained above the 2025 target of 55%. We aim to improve this through continuous education on the importance of early reporting during pregnancy. Our maternal death situation, however, worsened, rising from 40 to 60 cases,” he said.
Stillbirth rates remained unchanged at 9.9 percent in both 2024 and 2025, although this was below the 2025 target of 11.5 percent.
The data also showed a decline in overall institutional mortality rates and a significant reduction in diabetes and hypertension cases.
Immunisation coverage recorded slight setbacks, with measles and rubella coverage declining, while pentavalent vaccine coverage remained largely unchanged. These challenges were partly attributed to intermittent vaccine shortages during the year.
On human resources, the region recorded modest gains, with staff numbers increasing slightly due to higher postings and fewer transfers out. However, inequitable distribution of health workers persists, with some districts still understaffed.
“We recorded a net gain in staff transfers in 2025. Staff posted to the region increased from 29 in 2024 to 41 in 2025, while transfers out declined significantly from 153 to 64. This is encouraging as we continue to attract more personnel. As a result, staff strength increased slightly from 6,588 in 2024 to 6,614 in 2025,” Dr Abubakari said.
Mental health indicators also raised concern, with attempted suicide rates increasing from 7 to 9 per 1,000 population. Reported depression cases rose sharply from 50 to 138 per 1,000,000 population.
“There is a worrying rise in mental health cases among both the public and health workers,” he added.
Health authorities say support systems have been introduced for both staff and the public to help address the growing mental health burden.
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