Parliament has marked World Preeclampsia Day 2026 with a strong appeal for increased awareness, early diagnosis, and improved maternal healthcare interventions to tackle the growing threat posed by the condition.
Delivering a statement on Friday to commemorate World Preeclampsia Day 2026, Member of Parliament for Lambussie, Prof. Titus Kofi Beyuo, warned that preeclampsia remains one of the leading causes of maternal deaths in Ghana and across the world.
Marked annually on May 22 under the theme “Know Her Symptoms,” this year’s observance sought to encourage communities and families to recognize the warning signs of preeclampsia and to support pregnant women in seeking early medical attention.
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Prof. Beyuo described preeclampsia as a dangerous but often silent pregnancy complication linked to high blood pressure and organ damage, particularly affecting the liver, kidneys, and brain.
“Preeclampsia has overtaken haemorrhage as the leading reason why mothers die in Teaching Hospitals in Ghana,” he told Parliament.
According to him, the condition can rapidly progress into eclampsia, causing seizures and forcing premature delivery regardless of the stage of pregnancy.
Prof. Beyuo revealed that he recently participated in the World Health Organization’s maiden Global Preeclampsia Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, where experts discussed strategies to end preventable maternal deaths associated with the condition.
He cited World Health Organization estimates showing that preeclampsia affects nearly 10 million pregnancies globally every year and contributes to between 50,000 and 76,000 maternal deaths annually.
“More than 70 percent of the burden falls on low- and middle-income countries,” he stressed.
The lawmaker explained that although the exact cause of preeclampsia is still unknown, medical experts generally associate it with abnormal placenta formation during pregnancy.
He identified obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, previous experiences with preeclampsia, and pregnancies at very young or advanced maternal ages as some of the major risk factors.
Prof. Beyuo cautioned that the disease often develops silently in its early stages, making regular antenatal care extremely important for early detection and treatment.
Symptoms of severe preeclampsia, he said, include persistent headaches, blurred vision, upper abdominal pain, convulsions, and organ complications.
He called on the Ministry of Health and relevant agencies to strengthen maternal healthcare delivery by ensuring that all facilities handling pregnant women are equipped with blood pressure monitoring devices, diagnostics, magnesium sulfate, and other essential medicines.
The MP also praised government interventions under the Free Primary Health Care Programme and urged authorities to use the initiative to improve maternal healthcare services for women at risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy.
Touching on family support systems, Prof. Beyuo appealed to men to play active roles during pregnancy by accompanying women to antenatal clinics and supporting adherence to prescribed treatment.
“Men must get involved. Supported women tend to record better pregnancy outcomes compared to those without family support,” he urged.