According to Rita Adjoa Ansong, Deputy Director of Nursing Services (Public Health) at the Bono Regional Directorate of Health, the Bono Region documented 14,877 pregnancies among teenagers from 2021 to 2024.
She pointed out that the area similarly reported 1,188 instances of abortion during that timeframe, involving girls aged 15 to 19.
Miss Ansong announced this during a stakeholders’ gathering in Sunyani, which was part of the events celebrating the African Vaccination Week (AVW) and Child Health Promotion Week (CHPW), hosted by the Bono Regional Directorate of Health.
Offering a detailed account of the statistics, she noted that there were 3,999 pregnancies and 388 abortion cases documented in 2021; 4,058 pregnancies and 351 abortions in 2022; 3,492 pregnancies and 217 abortions in 2023; and 3,328 pregnancies and 282 abortions in 2024.
Characterizing the situation as concerning, Miss Ansong urged stakeholders to back initiatives focused on enhancing Family Planning (FP) accessibility for sexually active teenage girls in the area, in order to decrease teenage pregnancies.
She emphasized that family planning empowers girls to make educated choices regarding their sexual and reproductive health, enabling them to pursue their education.
Miss Ansong also pointed out myths and misconceptions, insufficient community backing, and outdated cultural and religious beliefs as significant obstacles hindering girls and women from gaining access.
different FP techniques.
She stated that regional FP service coverage in 2024 reached 39.58 percent of the anticipated target demographic—women and girls of reproductive age—an increase from 36.45 percent in 2023.
The acceptor rate for 2024 rose by 0.08 percent compared to the last year. She credited this slight enhancement to collaboration with partners, a steady provision of family planning commodities, and the re-registration of users of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods.
NKONKONSA.com
