Tema, Feb 22, GNA- The Tema General Hospital (TGH) recorded teenage deliveries of 1,640 in 2003 as against 470 in 2002.

The increase indicates the extent at which teenage girls actively get involved in sexual activities, Mr Peter K. Ampramtwum, Senior Health Service Administrator of the TGH told the GNA in an interview on Saturday.

He called on parents and guardians to monitor their teenage girls so that they did not fall prey to men to become premature mothers. He said in 2003 out of 25,202 women who attended antenatal clinic 4,539 delivered at the hospital while in 2002, 4,165 women gave birth out of 25,544 who attended clinic.

Out of the number, 34 maternal deaths were recorded in 2003 while 32 and 294 were recorded in respect of neonatal deaths and abortion respectively in the same year.

The Administrator said the hospital recorded 75 and 288 for neonatal deaths and abortions in 2002 respectively.

Mr Ampratwum said the hospital recorded 587 deaths in 2003 and 582 in 2002 and said they died from various diseases such as HIV/AIDS, hypertension anaemia, pneumonia, diabetes, tuberculosis, meningitis, renal failure, malaria, septicaemia and cirrhosis of liver.

On hypertension, which claimed 166 lives in 2003 and 82 in 2002, the Hospital Administrator entreated the public to re-examine their lifestyle and refrain from activities that are likely to trigger issues such as stress and diet that cause hypertension.

On pneumonia that also killed 48 people in 2003 and 42 in 2002, he said residents of Tema, the industrial nerve of the nation are exposed to industrial pollution and called on industrialists to control the situation and also provide their workers with protective gadgets. Generally, he advised the public to go for periodic medical examinations to know their health status and keep them in shape.