The Regional Director, of Central Region Public Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service Dr Kwabena Sarfo says there is a worrying trend as some adolescents resort to using weedicides to abort pregnancies.
Mr Safo says the trend was worrying and an indication that comprehensive sexual education had to be intensified to reach all, particularly, the adolescents.
“I have had reports of pregnant adolescents adopting all manner of methods to abort pregnancies. One of such, which is new for us, is the use of weedicides. Some pregnant adolescents are drinking weedicides to abort pregnancies,†he stated.
He added that it was obvious that many of them were sexually active but were not ready for the pregnancies.
Dr Sarfo was speaking at a day's workshop for selected chemical sellers from six districts of the Central Region to educate them on family planning methods and services to help increase coverage.
The programme was organised by the Regional Public Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service, supported by the Central Regional Coordinating Council, with funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Global Affairs, Canada.
Dr Sarfo said using weedicides to abort pregnancies would kill many if it was not stopped through education.
He stated that public health education was everyone’s business, adding that it was essential that all stakeholders came on board to support the education.
“Many people are contracting sexually transmitted diseases, getting unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions and it is important that we all step up our game to get family planning services to as many people as possible,†he indicated.
Mr Safo also said they want these adolescents to come to health centres to seek advise on issues regarded their sexuality rather than taking dangerous decisions.
“We want adolescents to come to the health centres with their problems rather than resort to crude and dangerous ways of solving their problems,†he noted.
He said the GHS was happy to collaborate with all and sundry with the right information to enable people to make the right decisions on their sexuality.
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