By Clement Akoloh
The Parliament of Ghana has joined the global community in commemorating World Preeclampsia Day 2026 with a strong call for increased awareness, early diagnosis, and improved maternal healthcare interventions to reduce preventable deaths associated with the condition.
Delivering a commemorative statement on the floor of Parliament on behalf of the occasion, Titus Kofi Beyuo described preeclampsia as one of the most dangerous yet often silent complications of pregnancy, warning that the condition continues to claim the lives of thousands of women globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Ghana.
Marked annually on May 22, this year’s World Preeclampsia Day is under the theme “Know Her Symptoms,” aimed at encouraging societies to recognize the signs of the condition and support pregnant women to seek early medical care.
Prof. Beyuo, who disclosed that he recently participated in the World Health Organization’s maiden Global Preeclampsia Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, said the gathering sought to develop a global roadmap toward ending preventable deaths linked to preeclampsia.
Explaining the condition, he noted that preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder in pregnancy characterized by elevated blood pressure and protein in the urine, often accompanied by complications affecting vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, and brain. He cautioned that the condition can progress into eclampsia, leading to convulsions and forcing premature delivery irrespective of the stage of pregnancy.
According to him, the World Health Organization estimates that preeclampsia affects about 10 million pregnancies globally each year and contributes to between 50,000 and 76,000 maternal deaths annually. He stressed that more than 70 percent of the burden falls on low- and middle-income countries.
“In Teaching Hospitals in Ghana, preeclampsia has overtaken haemorrhage as the leading reason why mothers die,” he stated, adding that the condition remains the second leading direct cause of maternal mortality globally and in Ghana.
The Lambussie MP further explained that while the exact cause of preeclampsia remains uncertain, it is generally linked to abnormal placenta formation. He listed some risk factors as obesity, previous experiences with preeclampsia, diabetes, kidney disease, and pregnancies occurring at very young or advanced maternal ages.
He warned that the disease often develops silently in its early stages, making regular antenatal care critical for early detection and management. Symptoms associated with severe cases include headaches, blurred vision, upper abdominal pain, convulsions, and organ complications.
Prof. Beyuo called on the Ministry of Health and its agencies to strengthen maternal healthcare delivery by ensuring the availability of blood pressure monitoring devices, essential medicines, diagnostics, and magnesium sulfate across all health facilities managing pregnant women.
He also commended government efforts under the Free Primary Health Care Programme, urging authorities to leverage the initiative to improve maternal healthcare services, especially for women at risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy.
Touching on the role of families, particularly men, the lawmaker encouraged male partners to actively support women during pregnancy by accompanying them to antenatal clinics and ensuring adherence to prescribed medication.
“Men must get involved,” he urged, noting that supported women tend to record better pregnancy outcomes compared to those without family support.
Source: parliamentnews360.com
