Begoro, Feb. 5, GNA=96 Ms. Margaret Asare, District Director of Ghana Health Services (GHS) for Fanteakwa, has expressed concern about the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy in the area.

She said teenage pregnancy increased from 523 cases in 2005 to 579 cases last year, despite measures put in place to educate teenagers on the implications of problem.

Ms. Asare was speaking at this year's annual review meeting of the District Directorate of the GHS at Begoro on Thursday. On the health situation, she said last year, the district hospital recorded one maternal death and 45,828 malaria cases.

Ms. Asare said plans were under way to increase the staff of and provide more equip to the Asirebuso health post, to improve health delivery in the area.

The District Manager of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Mr Eugene Afrifa said the scheme paid 2.1 billion cedis as hospital bills last year.

He said the Scheme was now operational in 18 health centres in the Eastern Region, and also with the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, where referral cases were sent.

The District Chief Executive, Mr Ebenezer Ofoe Caesar, advised nurses not to relegate their professional duties to health assistants posted to the health centres, and explained that they were to do non-professional work to alleviate the work load of the professionals.

The nurses appealed to the Regional Director of GHS to post more midwives to the district to improve health delivery in the area.