Unsafe abortions threaten Ghana’s MDG targets – Health Director

Dr Emmanuel Tenkorang, Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Director in-charge of Public Health, on Thursday said teenage pregnancy and unsafe abortion would hinder efforts to reduce maternal mortality in the country if a radical approach was not made to address the problem.

He said Ghana could not achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs 4 and 5), which is to reduce maternal mortality rate by 75 percent in 2015, if the problems of teenage pregnancy and unsafe abortion continued to increase.

According to Dr. Tenkorang, unsafe abortion was the second leading cause of maternal mortality in the country, which accounted for 25 to 30 percent of all maternal deaths.

He was speaking at the launch of the MDG Accelerated Framework (MAF) Accountability Project in Sunyani on Wednesday.

The Brong-Ahafo Regional Chapter of the Ghana Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Health with support from Star Ghana is implementing the MAF Accountability Project aimed at monitoring and identifying the leading cause of maternal mortality in the Region.

The project is being implemented in Sunyani Municipal, Tano South and Jaman North Districts in the Region.

Dr Tenkorang said family planning acceptor rate was very low in the Region, while there was inadequate access to adolescent health services.

Mr Kobina Afena-Sam, Brong-Ahafo Coordinator of the Coalition of NGOs in Health, appealed to District Health Directorates to open-up and provide information needed to ensure effective monitoring of the project.

Source: GNA