Abstract
Background: Achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of improving maternal health has become a focus
in recent times for the majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Ghana’s maternal mortality is still high indicating that
there are challenges in the provision of quality maternal health care at the facility level. This study examined the
implementation challenges of maternal health care services in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana.
Methods: Purposive sampling was used to select study participants and qualitative strategies, including in-depth
interviews, focus group discussions and review of documents employed for data collection. The study participants
included midwives (24) and health managers (4) at the facility level.
Results: The study revealed inadequate in-service training, limited knowledge of health policies by midwives, increased
workload, risks of infection, low motivation, inadequate labour wards, problems with transportation, and difficulties in
following the procurement act, among others as some of the challenges confronting the successful implementation of
the MDGs targeting maternal and child health in the Tamale Metropolis.
Conclusions: Implementation of maternal health interventions should take into consideration the environment or the
context under which the interventions are implemented by health care providers to ensure they are successful. The
study recommends involving midwives in the health policy development process to secure their support and
commitment towards successful implementation of maternal health interventions.
Keywords: Implementation, Millennium Development goal, Maternal health, Ghana