The Western Regional Information Officer of the Ghana Health Service, Mr Kofi Sefa, has cautioned teenagers along the coastal communities of the region not to take pride in early childbirth but to rather concentrate on building a better future for themselves.
Mr Sefa said this in Takoradi at a day’s seminar organised by the Marie Stopes International on the theme “Advancing Adolescent and Youth Reproductive Health in the Western Region: the Role of the Mother Figure”.
High figures recorded
He said girls as young as 14 were getting pregnant and that the directorate continued to record high figures of teenage pregnancy, which he described as a worrying occurrence among the young girls along the coast, noting that such child mothers had no sense of shame as they ridiculed women aged about 20 who had not given birth in their communities.
Mr Sefa noted that it was time community leaders stood up in the fight against teenage pregnancy.
He advised young girls to associate with good friends, avoid listening to flattering words from men and choose to better their lots through education and discipline.
The Regional Public Health Nurse, Mrs Dorcas Sackey, called on parents and the society at large to speak to the girl child about sex, sexually transmitted diseases and early pregnancy.
She said behavioural patterns acquired in the adolescent stage tended to have greater influence on people’s lives, especially with health care and diseases, and added that advancing adolescent and youth reproductive health was, therefore, imperative.
Responsible adults
Mrs Sackey added that the adolescent formed 22 per cent of the country’s population and must, therefore, be assisted to grow to become better and responsible adults.
The Zonal Director for Marie Stopes International, Ghana Office, Mr Raymond Mensah, said his outfit had established 48 adolescent corners in the region, in addition to 48 school clubs and more than 240 community meetings to promote adolescent health issues, especially in rural communities.
Marie Stopes is an international non-governmental organisation that is working to improve the health needs of women, especially in reproductive health, contraceptives and legal/safe abortions.
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