Adolescent corners in Tema record increase in visits

The four adolescents’ corners established by the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate (TMHD) recorded a total of 3,066 visits in 2016 representing a 69 per cent increase over the 1,816 documented in 2015.

Out of the figure, the Manhean Health Centre had the highest visits of 1,092, while Tema General Hospital Centre received 804 visits, Tema Polyclinic, 601 and Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) Health Centre attended to 569 adolescents.

Mrs Grace Eddy Amewu, Adolescent Health Focal Person at the TMHD, told the Ghana News Agency that the increment exceeded her outfit’s target of 50 per cent over the 2015 visits.

Mrs Amewu said interventions such as establishment of more adolescent health promotion clubs in junior and senior high schools, interschool’s debates, stakeholders’ forum and community based adolescent services among others increased the awareness of the operations of the four corners.

She however stated that more awareness must be created to capture the huge adolescent and young people’s population in the Tema Metropolis, noting that the estimated population for the area was 107,945 which comprised of 31,295 from Tema Central, 34,314 and 42,336 from Tema East and Tema West constituencies respectively.

She indicated that adolescent reproductive health aimed at ensuring the health and well-being of adolescent boys and girls in terms of sexuality, pregnancy, birth, and their related conditions, diseases and illnesses.

Touching on teenage pregnancy trends among girls aged between 10 and 19 years, she disclosed that a total of 713 teenage pregnancies were recorded in the Metropolis.

Tema West accounted for 106 of the teenage pregnancies representing 15 per cent, Tema East had 313 representing 44 per cent while Tema Central saw 294 being 41 per cent of the total.

She however added that there had been a study decrease in teenage pregnancies over the past two years with 807 recorded in 2014 and 772 in 2015.

Out of the 713 in 2016, 672 delivered at the various hospitals in the Tema Metropolis while 777 of such mothers reported for postnatal care.

A total of 85 criminal abortions were also recorded during the period showing a decrease over the 135 and 142 handled in 2015 and 2014 respectively.

Mrs Amewu disclosed that 27 of the pregnant girls tested positive to HIV when they underwent the compulsory mother to child prevention testing.

Meanwhile, 1,333 teenage girls aged between 10 and 19 were put on family planning in 2016 showing an increase over the 1,283 and 814 for 2015 and 2014 respectively.