Ghana has officially launched its first-ever Maternal Mental Health Policy, marking a significant step toward addressing mental health challenges among pregnant women and new mothers.
The policy, which spans from 2026 to 2037, was unveiled at a ceremony in Accra, bringing together government officials, development partners, health professionals, and civil society organisations.
Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority, Eugene Dordoye, described the initiative as “a promise to our mothers,” noting that the country can no longer remain silent on maternal mental health.
According to him, a national situational analysis conducted with the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that between 32 and 50 percent of pregnant and postpartum women in Ghana experience mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression.
“Less than 10 percent of these women receive care. That means for every 10 women, almost all do not get the support they need,” he said, describing the situation as deeply concerning.
He explained that the new policy seeks to shift care from specialist facilities to community-based systems, including CHPS compounds, and will equip midwives and community health nurses to identify and respond to mental health conditions early.
Dordoye also emphasised that maternal mental health extends beyond the individual, highlighting the psychological impact of infertility, the emotional burden on partners, and burnout among healthcare providers.
The chairperson of Parliament’s Select Committee on Health reaffirmed the legislature’s commitment to supporting the policy, particularly through funding and oversight.
The committee noted that mental health has historically been underfunded, receiving less than three percent of the national health budget.
“We will advocate for increased budgetary allocations to ensure the targets of this policy become a reality,” the chairperson said, adding that Parliament is also considering legal reforms to strengthen protections for women facing mental health challenges linked to issues such as domestic abuse and pregnancy loss.
Member of Parliament for the Lambussie constituency and member of the committee, Titus Beyuo, called for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, stressing that mental health is cross-cutting and cannot be addressed in isolation.
“Policy without funding is just wishful thinking,” he cautioned, while advocating for broader institutional collaboration and reforms to improve financing for mental health services.
On behalf of the WHO Representative to Ghana, Dr. Sofonias Asrat highlighted the scale of the challenge, noting that maternal mental health conditions affect one in four women in low- and middle-income countries, with even higher rates recorded in some Ghanaian postpartum populations.
He said findings from a pilot project integrating mental health into maternal care services demonstrate that such interventions can be successfully implemented and scaled up nationwide.
The policy is expected to guide efforts to integrate mental health into routine maternal healthcare, improve early detection, reduce stigma, and enhance support systems for mothers, including vulnerable groups such as adolescent girls and women experiencing pregnancy loss.
Stakeholders say the successful implementation of the policy will be critical to improving maternal well-being and safeguarding the future of families across Ghana.
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