FIGHT AGAINST TEENAGE PREGNANCY IN KPONE

story by Hagar Sey

The Kpone Katamanso Metro Health Director, Esther Pricilla Dankwa, has called for collaborative efforts in the fight against teenage pregnancy in the Constituency in this COVID-19 era. According to her, the number of teenage pregnancies recorded within the COVID-19 period is very high. She attributed the increase in teenage pregnancies to the lock-down during the peak of COVID-19. Mrs. Dankwa said this at a sensitization programme for stakeholders held at Kpone.  Issues of teenage pregnancy has become a major national concern. It is estimated that more than four million teenage girls get pregnant annually in the Country with Cape Coast being in the lead. The Kpone Katamanso Municipality cannot be exempted from the teenage pregnancy menace. The fast growing Municipality has now shifted from being a farming community into an industrial hub of the Country, generating revenue for economic growth. Kpone Katamanso has a population of over 135-thousand, 438 with over 46-thousand being teenagers. Issues of teenage pregnancy in the Municipality have increased. According to Dr. Dankwa said from 2016 to 2020 the Health Directorate recorded two-thousand-729 teenage pregnancies of girls between 10 and 14 years. She said from January to February this year, the Directorate recorded 174 teenage pregnancies from the five Zonal Councils under the Municipality. She explained that Kpone recorded 56 teenage pregnancies, Gbetsile 55, Zenu 36, Oyibi 18 and Appolonia 11. She added that the Directorate recorded 16 cases in March, 25 in April, 27 in May and 55 in June as well as 31 in July. She attributed the increase to the lack of parental care during the period under review and the children not being in school. An Officer of the National Population Council, Florence Hagan, noted that the Country's population out ways its resources. She added that this compromises the quality of life of the citizenry.