Teenage pregnancy cases soar in Gomoa

A total of 762 teenagers in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region got pregnant last year.

Dr Yaw Ofori Yeboah District Director of Health Services, who made this known at the district Annual Performance Review meeting on Wednesday at Apam said, out of the number, 17 were aged between 10-14 years.

The conference, which was to take stock of the achievements and challenges of the Health Directorate, was attended by the various sub-district health managers and administrators of health facilities in the district as well as head of departments.

Dr Yeboah, who described the high rate of teenage pregnancy cases as alarming, also expressed concern that many pregnant women in the area still delivered at home, stressing that was particularly prevalent in Mumford and its environs and called for concerted effort to help curb the situation.

The District Director said 65,367 Out–Patient Department (OPD) attendants were recorded last year with 50 per cent of the cases such as malaria, respiratory infection, skin diseases, pregnancy related complications, anaemia and hypertension being the most reported diseases.

He was, however, glad to announce that though the district used to be a prime area for cholera, not a single case had been recorded in the last five years and that none of their clients on Tuberculosis treatment defaulted during the year under review.

On that achievement, Dr Yeboah said the Directorate was able to extend services to communities through the establishment of four new functional CHPS (Community-based Health Planning Services) zones at Gomoa Kumasi, Obiri, Kyirnkwanta, as well as three family planning service delivery sites at Enyeme, Oguan and Nsuekyir.

He pointed out that within the last two years alone the health directorate with the support of the District Assembly had facilitated the establishment of 10 CHPS zones as well as two health centres at Mumford and Dago, adding that the facilities were offering basic but vital services to about 65,000 people in the district.

Dr Yeboah said the district would this year benefit from the Mobile Technology for community Health (MOTECH), which is aimed at promoting the health of women and children as well as a Climate Change Project, which would enhance the health systems capacity to respond to health related challenges resulting from climate change.

He commended all the health workers in the district for their professionalism, sacrifice and dedication to duty, which had helped to improve the quality of health care delivery services in the district.

In a speech read for him, Mr Theophilus Aidoo–Mensah, the District Chief Executive, said the government was committed at providing quality health care at the grassroots and stressed that the District Assembly would endeavour to help renovate staff bungalows and continue to provide CHPS centres in many communities.

He said the Assembly was also committed to the minimization of maternal mortality as specified in the Millennium Development Goals and that in the past year it had been able to construct CHPS compounds at Abonko, Brofo, Kyeren Nkwanta and Mumford.

Mr Aidoo-Mensah said in addition, a nurses’ quarters was constructed at Dago and electricity extended to Dago health centre and nurses quarters as well as the provision of furniture and chemical equipment to Dago health centre.

He commended the health directorate for its effort, which had resulted in its selection for the MOTECH project and pledged that the assembly would give the project the needed assistance to ensure its success.

Nana Edu Effram X, chief of Apam Traditional Area, who presided, expressed worry about the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy cases in the area and appealed to the Judicial Service to assist in addressing the situation by heavily punishing men, who were responsible for such pregnancies.

He said irresponsible parenting coupled with the delay in the prosecuting of defilement and rape cases at the law courts were contributory factors and urged judges to always fast track defilement and rape cases.