Berekum starts programme to reverse teenage pregnancy

A united Kingdom based non-governmental organisation- DFID/Future, has launched a-10.9 million pound project aimed at providing sexual reproductive health services to adolescent girls in the Berekum Municipality.

Under the three- year project, being supervised by the Municipal Directorate of Health, adolescent health centres would be set-up in some communities to enable teenagers easily access sex education and other family planning services.

Dr Osei Kuffour-Afreh, Berekum Municipal Director of Health Services, who made this known to Ghana News Agency in an interview on Wednesday, said teenage pregnancy is gaining alarming proportion in the municipality.

He said the area recorded 700 cases of teenage pregnancy in 2012 and 660 in 2013, adding that though statistics for 2014 is not yet available, there is indication that cases would increased.

Dr Kuffour-Afreh explained that the project would provide free sexual education, contraceptives and safe family planning methods to help reduce teenage pregnancy and other sexual transmitted infections among girls.

He noted that some outmoded cultural practices are contributory factors to teenage pregnancy in many of the communities as some parents encourage their adolescent girls to practice early sexual intercourse with men.

This practice, Dr Kuffour-Afreh said had increased sexual promiscuity among adolescent girls in the area who also engage in unprotected sex.

He pointed out that because of this unsafe abortion had been a major social challenge in the municipality.

Dr Kuffour-Afreh said many of the girls end up in various health complications and sometimes died on arrival at the hospital as a result of excessive bleeding.