Consultant forensic pathologist Professor Paul Ossei-Sampene has identified hypertension-related conditions and acute asthma among the conditions contributing to maternal deaths.

His comments come amid rising maternal mortality in Ghana, with 965 maternal deaths recorded in 2025.

Speaking on the JoyNews Desk on Monday, August 10, Prof. Ossei-Sampene said the reasons for maternal deaths were numerous and could be linked to several medical conditions affecting vital organs.

“The reasons are quite numerous. Sometimes we attribute some of them to things like hypertensive-related conditions, which, of course, involve not only the heart but also some vital organs like the kidneys, heart and so forth. So basically, that is one,” he said.

Prof. Ossei-Sampene cited a recent study published in 2025, which, according to him, indicated that hypertension-related conditions accounted for about 40.7 per cent of maternal deaths.

“A recent study that was published sometime in 2025 said that hypertensive-related conditions that resulted in the death of mothers are around 40.7. So it means that the numbers are quite high,” he said.

He added that, apart from hypertension, acute asthmatic conditions contribute to maternal deaths.

Lack of education and harmful traditions

Prof Ossei-Sampene also identified a lack of education among women as another concern, particularly where some women rely on customs and traditions that could be harmful to their health.

He said some traditional beliefs and practices could be inimical to efforts to prevent maternal deaths.

“Lack of education on the part of women who actually believe in customs and traditions which are actually inimical to some of these things that are actually causing maternal death is also a problem,” he said.

According to him, misconceptions surrounding childbirth and changes to the female body were also influencing some women's decisions about how they delivered their babies.

He said some women believed that giving birth would cause them to lose some elasticity, a perception he said had led some to resort to various concoctions to reduce the size of parts of their bodies.

“Now you realise that everybody, every woman, is actually … for the fact that a woman should use all manner of concoctions to reduce the size of whatever it is that they want to reduce.”

Concerns over caesarean sections

Prof Ossei-Sampene further raised concerns about women opting for caesarean sections because of fears about the effects of vaginal childbirth on their bodies.

He referred to an instance in which the Deputy Minister of Health had visited a facility where a number of women had been lined up for caesarean sections despite, according to him, there being no indication for the procedures.

He suggested that misconceptions about vaginal childbirth and concerns over possible changes to the vagina were among the factors influencing some women's decisions.

He also noted that men could sometimes contribute to such perceptions.

"Sometimes, men also contribute to this. They may question why a woman should give birth naturally if it could result in the expansion of the vagina and other changes, which, of course, does not make any sense,” he said.

Prof Ossei-Sampene said these concerns had led some women to choose what they considered to be the easiest method of delivery.

“So most of the women also actually have decided that they will let them go for the easiest way possible, like removing the baby without any impact on the private parts like the vagina wall, ensuring that it's exactly what it's supposed to be,” he said.

Risks associated with caesarean sections

The forensic pathologist cautioned that caesarean sections could also be associated with complications.

He explained that some complications following the procedure could include thrombosis and embolism.

“Of course, when you do that, sometimes there are many minor things, and some of these minor things can [cause] thrombosis or embolism,” he said.

According to Prof Ossei-Sampene, such complications could develop gradually and move through the system.

“These can move gradually into the system. So, by the time the mother is ready to take the baby home, when she gets out of the bed and she collapses and dies,” he said.

He stressed that such factors needed to be considered when examining the causes of maternal deaths.

“So all these things are things that we need to actually, I mean, factor in,” he said.

Prof Ossei-Sampene also expressed his support for efforts by the Deputy Minister of Health to address the challenges.

“And I'm very glad that the Minister, the Deputy Minister, has actually taken up this challenge and [is] going to make sure that things are done properly, apart from the factors” he said.