About 229 teenage girls in the Sissala East District of the Upper West Region were reported pregnant last year alone, Mr.Alex Bapula, the District Director of Ghana Health Service has revealed.
He said young girls in the District were busy having babies and turning themselves into mothers instead of studying in schools for a better future.
Mr. Bapula made these revelations at the District Assembly Performance Review Meeting in Tumu.
“Young girls and boys are having unprotected sex which must be worry to all of us. We only see them and take care of them as they come to our facility”, he said, adding that “We are the second highest in the Region when it comes to children giving birth to children”.
He indicated that the issue of adolescent health was not just a challenge but a social problem that had plagued young girls and boys in the local communities.
Mr. Bapula said the situation was a source of worry despite some huge investments from UNFPA to help eradicate the menace through sensitization programmes.
The District Health Director urged all stakeholders to show concern and work harder to help reverse the trend.