Ghana urged to take advantage of drop in fertility rate

The Acting Eastern Regional Population Officer, Mr Kwasi Owusu Obeng has called on the country to strategically take advantage of the drop in the fertility rate of the country.

He argued that, with the drop of the fertility rate of the country from 6.2 in 1988 to 4.2 in 2014 and improvement in health has led to a large youthful population.

Mr Obeng said if such a population is continuously trained to acquire the requisite skills and vocation and right environment to invest created, such large population could take advantage of the huge resource of the country to create wealth and jobs.

Mr Obeng was speaking at the observation of the World Population Day in Eastern Region at Koforidua.

He observed that the free Senior High School (SHS) policy was in the right direction but conscious efforts needed to be made to direct the training to the right areas to ensure that the youth acquired the right skills and vocations.

Mrs Helen Asare, a Director of Nursing Service said due to rumours and myths, family planning practices has been low in the Region.

Mrs Asare said because of the high attrition rate of midwives in the country, some health facilities in the rural areas have no midwives.

Mrs Asare said the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has intensified public education to help improve upon family planning to help control population growth in the region.

She said the GHS was also encouraging the promotion of pregnant women school where health official would have more time to educate the pregnant women about their pregnancy including family planning.

She said now, as a policy, spousal concern is not required for a woman to adopt any family planning method.

Source: GNA