Wenchi Municipal Director of Health Services, Robert Kwaku Bio, has expressed worry about the upsurge of adolescent pregnancy over the last four years, describing it as distasteful.

Mr Bio who was speaking during the 2020 Annual Performance Peer Review (APPR) of the directorate revealed that a total number of 615 adolescent pregnancies were recorded at the Wenchi Municipality of the Bono region for the year 2020.

"The Municipality recorded 498 adolescent pregnancies in 2016, 577 in 2017, 580 in 2018 and 572 in 2019 but again rose astronomically in 2020," he added.  

According to him, the surge of adolescent pregnancies within the Wenchi Municipal area is as a result of irresponsibility, single parenting and the massive influence of social media.

The Wenchi Municipal Director of Health Services added that this appalling situation will require the collaborative effort by Ghana Education Service (GES) and various parents.

He noted that parents must monitor the activities of their wards and also see to it that they need provide the daily needs of the adolescent girls.

Mr Bio urged the various traditional councils, GES as well as religious leaders to play their roles effectively to ensure that 2021 adolescent pregnancy cases will reduce drastically.

Touching on maternal health, Mr Bio disclosed that the Wenchi Municipal Health Directorate recorded 5 maternal deaths during the year under review adding that all 5 cases were referrals from facilities outside of the Wenchi Municipal area to the Wenchi Methodist Hospital.

The Wenchi Municipal Health Director further expressed satisfaction with the strict adherence to the safety protocols of Covid-19 across the municipality, adding that “but we need to keep up the education so that we remain on track”.