The Central Region Public Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service has expressed worry about reports of adolescents resorting to weedicides to abort pregnancies.
The Regional Director, Public Health, Dr Kwabena Sarfo, said that 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 said 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 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.
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