Over 14,000 Teenage Girls Impregnated in Bono Region In 4 Years – Health Directorate

The Bono Region recorded 14,877 teenage pregnancies between 2021 and 2024, according to Rita Adjoa Ansong, Deputy Director of Nursing Services (Public Health) at the Bono Regional Directorate of Health.

She noted that the region also recorded 1,188 cases of abortion within the same period, involving girls aged between 15 and 19.

Miss Ansong made this known at a stakeholders’ meeting in Sunyani, held as part of activities marking the African Vaccination Week (AVW) and Child Health Promotion Week (CHPW), organized by the Bono Regional Directorate of Health.

Providing a breakdown of the figures, she said 3,999 pregnancies and 388 cases of abortion were recorded in 2021; 4,058 pregnancies and 351 abortions in 2022; 3,492 pregnancies and 217 abortions in 2023; and 3,328 pregnancies and 282 abortions in 2024.

Describing the situation as worrying, Miss Ansong called on stakeholders to support efforts aimed at improving family planning (FP) coverage among sexually active teenage girls in the region to reduce teenage pregnancies.

She stressed that FP enables girls to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health, allowing them to continue their education.

Miss Ansong also identified myths and misconceptions, lack of community support, and outdated cultural and religious beliefs as key barriers preventing girls and women from accessing various FP methods.

She indicated that regional FP service coverage in 2024 stood at 39.58 percent of the expected target group—women and girls of reproductive age—up from 36.45 percent in 2023.