Tema Metro records decrease in abortions among adolescents

The Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate recorded a decrease in abortions in 2022 among adolescents, that is persons aged between 10 and 19 years.

A total of 48 abortion cases were seen at the health facilities in the Metropolis last year, a sharp decrease from the 73 seen in 2021, 68 in 2020, 86 in 2019, and 73 in 2018.

Ms Doris Ocansey, the Adolescent Reproductive Health Focal Person for the Directorate, disclosed this at a forum organized by the Tema Regional Office of the Ghana News Agency, dubbed: “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility.”

The decrease, she said, could be attributed to changes in behaviour and the increase in family planning rates, an indication that the adolescents might be engaging in sexual activities but not getting pregnant.

She explained that abortions clinically included both induced and miscarriage abortions, adding that the figure might not give the true picture as there might be some that were carried out at home without reporting to the health centres.

Ms. Ocansey said 896 adolescent girls were put on various types of family planning in 2022.

Touching on adolescent pregnancies, she said there was a drop from 471 to 365 pregnancies for 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Adolescent pregnancies for 2020, 2019, and 2018 were 463, 478, and 456, respectively.

To ensure good reproductive health and sexual practices among the adolescents, Ms. Ocansey said the Department had been organising programmes to reach out to the 31,546 adolescent population in the area with information on sexual health to make informed decisions.

“We do this by collaborating with the Ghana Education Service to reach out to the in-school adolescents, while the adolescent-friendly nurses in the health institutions also engage the out-of-school adolescents.”