Stakeholders at the Health Performance Review. INSET: Justine Sefakor Alornyo
The Akatsi South Municipality has recorded 314 teenage pregnancies in 2025, exceeding the national target despite intensified public health interventions aimed at curbing the trend.
The figure represents 12.1 per cent of total pregnancies, surpassing the national benchmark of reducing teenage pregnancy below 11.5 per cent.
Disclosing this at the 2025 Health Performance Review Meeting in Akatsi, the Municipal Director of Health Services, Justine Sefakor Alornyo, described the situation as worrying. She revealed that six girls between the ages of 10 and 14 were pregnant within the year under review, while 269 teenagers delivered babies, five of whom were in the 10–14 age bracket.
On maternal health services, the municipality recorded improvements in antenatal care attendance. A total of 2,594 pregnant women were registered in 2025, representing 65.9 per cent coverage, compared to 2,278 registrations and 58.4 per cent coverage in 2024. Supervised deliveries also increased marginally from 1,997 in 2024 to 2,071 in 2025.
According to the Municipal Director, all 2,071 newborns delivered in health facilities received BCG, Penta and Measles-Rubella vaccines. She attributed these gains to sustained public education, community outreach programmes and stakeholder collaboration across the municipality.
On communicable diseases, 151 new HIV cases were recorded, comprising 108 females and 43 males. All affected persons have been enrolled on treatment, including 15 pregnant women who tested positive. Additionally, 18 exposed infants have been placed on prophylaxis. The municipality also managed 60 tuberculosis cases during the period. Suspected cases of measles, yellow fever and Acute Flaccid Paralysis were investigated but all tested negative.
Ms. Alornyo commended stakeholders, particularly the Municipal Assembly, for their support in improving health service delivery. In 2025, the Assembly facilitated the provision of reliable water supply to Dzogadze and Wuxor CHPS compounds and donated essential medical equipment to Gui and Dzogadze CHPS facilities. Construction of new CHPS compounds at Zuta, Ahlepedo and Asafotsi is ongoing, while the Wute Health Centre is undergoing renovation. Midwives have also been posted to Wuxor, Gui, Dzogadze, Akuave and Livega.
The municipality is currently served by 40 health facilities, including two hospitals, one private and one municipal, six health centres, 27 CHPS compounds, one CHAG facility and four clinics.
Despite the gains made, infrastructure deficits and transportation challenges remain major concerns affecting healthcare delivery in the area.
FROM Daniel K. Orlando