Wa East: Teenage pregnancy cases increase to 16% in 1st quarter of 2024
Teenage pregnancy cases in the Wa East District of the Upper West Region have risen to 16% in the first quarter of 2024.
According to the Wa East Acting District Director of health services, Mr. Stephen Sunkari, the district recorded 922 pregnancies in the first quarter of 2024 and out of the number, 147 cases representing 16% are teenage mothers.
He bemoans the turn of events as the disrict was performing well in minimizing cases of teenage pregnancies from 2021 to 2023 with the cases reducing from 15% in 2021 to 13.7% in 2022. The cases further reduced from 13.7% in 2022 to 13.2% in 2023 and got incresed to 16% in the first quarter of 2024.
The Acting Director also indicated that, the absence of a secondary health facility in the district affects health care delivery in the district especially adolescent sexual reproductive health. The district per the 2021 population and housing census has a populaion of 98,586 people and 22.9% of the population are adolescents.
Mr. Sunkari revealed that the Wa East District has about 150 communities with only 48 primary health facilities comprising 10 health centers, 38 Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS).
He called for the Bulenga Health Center to be upgraded into a polyclinic stressing that, the establishment of a secondary health center will help improve adolescent reproductive health and other health care related issues in the district.
The Director made the revelation to the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament in Wa on May 18, 2024 whiles honouring an invitation extended to him to deliver a presentation on the state of adolescent sexual reproductive health in the Wa East district of the Upper West Region.
The Youth Parliament after debating on the presentation and seeking for more explanation on the situation, charged the district health directorate to continue to work hard to reduce the high rate of teenage pregnancy in the district.
On his part, Rt Hon. James Baba Anabiga, Speaker of the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament seized the opportunity and appealed to the district assembly and duty bearers in the district to upgrade the Bulenga Health Center in to a Polyclinic.
He also called on opinion leaders in the district to consider placing a ban on night jams and clubbing in the Bulenga community as research indicated that, night jams contributes to the increasing numbers of teenage pregnancy in the community.
Hon. James also appealed to parents to continue to play good parental role in order to help fight the menace of teenage pregnancy in the district, he further appealed to civil society organisations and NGOs to turn their attention to the district in order to help reduce poverty as it also contributes to the increasing spate of teenage pregnancy.
Meanwhile, the Hon. Majority Leader of the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament, Hon. Naa Marizuk in his remarks reechoed the call on chiefs and opinion leaders to ban night jams in Bulenga.
The Majority leader underscored the critical role the Youth Parliament has been playing in the district in order to combat or reduce drastically, the reported numbers of teenage pregnancy.
He urged the health care providers to continue sensitizing the youth and the public about the rippling effect of teenage pregnancy and the need for all duty bearers to put hands on deck towards improving adolescent sexual reproductive health and rights.
However, the Minority side of the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament under the leadership of Hon. Tahiru Lukman quizzes the state of the Wa East district hospital project under the goverment agenda 111 projects. The Minority called on government to expedite actions to get the project completed in order to serve as a secondary health facility in the district.
The Upper West Regional Youth Parliament with funding support from Plan International has been working on a project dubbed “improving Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights” in the Wa East District and the project has helped in bringing to bare, challenges associated with Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health.
By: Saeed Fatawu|myghanawatch.com|W93.5FM|0248265593|sdfatawu@gmail.com|