HEALTH AUTHORITIES at the Wenchi Municipality of Bono Region are worried about the high teenage pregnancies recorded there in recent times despite efforts being undertaken to reduce the canker among teenage girls.
According to the Municipal Health Director, Robert Kwaku Bio, within the first six months of this year, the authorities recorded 330 pregnancies among teenage girls in the municipality.
Highlighting the problem in an interview with Asaase Radio, Mr. Bio said a total of 288 teenage pregnancies were recorded in 2021, while 313 cases were recorded in 2020.
“Per the statistics at our desk, 2020 saw 313 teenage girls who became pregnant. In 2021, it came down to 288, and then in 2022, it shot up again to 330. This means 42 additional teenage pregnancies were recorded as far as the period under review is concerned,” he stated, describing the situation as worrying.
According to the municipal health boss, the directorate made efforts to reduce the phenomenon, but the cases still went up.
Mr. Bio expressed worry over the situation, and attributed it to lack of parental care, irresponsible parenting and the lack of communication among parents and their children.
“We are planning to organise stakeholders’ meetings among other measures to find a solution to the worrying situation. Parental care is a problem with most families within the district, and it is part of the reasons all these children of school-going age are being put in the family way as a result of lack of basic necessities that the men are ready to offer in exchange for sex.
“Some parents see new items with their children yet they fail to enquire how they come by them. Teenage pregnancy has become a fashion,” he said.
According to him, the worst part is that such adolescent girls, every month, go through their menstrual period but most of their parents do not provide them with sanitary pads.
“These are some of the problems we are contending with apart from the broken homes and peer pressure, among others. Most parents are becoming irresponsible,” he added.
Mr. Bio therefore called on all stakeholders to come together and find lasting solutions to the canker.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Wenchi