Special clinics to be dedicated to pregnant teenagers

Dr. Esther Priscila Biamah-Danquah, the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Health Director has disclosed that a Special Clinic will be dedicated to cater for the welfare of pregnant teenagers within the municipality.

She said many pregnant teenagers do not attend antenatal or go to the hospital at all because they are shy of the elderly pregnant women who sometimes chastise them, “so we are creating a friendly antenatal platform to accommodate them”.

Dr Biamah-Danquah stated at Kpone near Tema during the launch of the “Turning Point Project,” for the Adolescent Girls, which was on theme: "Building the capacity of the Girl Child for National Development," seeks to empower girls and build their capacity.

The Turning Point Project was organized by the Women Media And Change (WOMEC) an organization which provides platform for advocacy for gender balance and empowerment of women.

Dr Biamah-Danquah cited a situation where a pregnant teenager had miscarriage because she failed to visit the hospital or clinic for fear of being humiliated.

"We will have a Special Clinic, where these pregnant girls will attend after 1400 hours when the elderly pregnant women would have finished their session, we want to create an interface between the pregnant girls and the elderly pregnant women.

“The pregnant girls’ major problem for which sometimes they refused to attend to antennal clinic was that the older women turn to insult and make mockery of their condition,” she said.

Dr Biamah-Danquah explained that the Turning Point Project was one of the measures that were put in place to curb teenage pregnancy in the municipality, stressing that the needs of the pregnant teenagers should be prioritized.

She said, "the lives of the teenagers as well as their unborn child is important, we must all work together to protect them,” and encouraged the pregnant girls to attend antenatal clinics