When do maternal deaths occur? - A 3-year retrospective analysis of timing and seasonality of maternal deaths at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana

Maternal mortality remains a major public health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as Ghana. There is limited data on timing and seasonality of maternal deaths particularly from the Sub-Saharan African region. This study examined the timing and seasonality of maternal deaths at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana from January 2021 to December 2023. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) was 801.3 per 100,000 live births over the period. A higher proportion of maternal deaths occurred during weekends, with Saturdays recording the highest percentage (18.5%). Deaths during night shifts accounted for 55.1% of all cases. Significantly higher proportion of maternal deaths occurred during the wet season (p < 0.001). On a month-by-month comparison, December recorded the highest MMR (1,142.1 per 100,000 live births), while November had the lowest (410.1 per 100,000 live births). More maternal deaths occurred during the night shift, weekends, wet and holiday-dense seasons.