Ghana Health Service (GHS) figures show that a total of 11,223 teenage girls got pregnant in the Wenchi Municipality over the past three years.
The teenage mothers were aged between 10 and 18 years.
The figures show 3,593 pregnant teenagers were captured in 2016, 3,766 in 2017 and 3,864 cases recorded in 2018.
A public health nurse at the Wenchi Municipal Health Directorate, Ms Eva Asantewaa, who made this disclosure described the situation as alarming.
She was speaking at a forum to mark this year’s International Day of the Girl Child at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church at Wenchi in the Bono Region.
This year’s International Day of the Girl Child theme is, “GirlForce: Unscripted and unstoppable”. The theme celebrate achievements by, with and for girls since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Ms Eva Asantewaa noted that teenage pregnancy, apart from its serious health implications, was also fueling the dropout rate among school girls.
She called for parents to be more responsive to child needs and ensure their proper upbringing.
Participants were also briefed on the various interventions by the Ghana Health Service to check the situation.
About 90 per cent of girls in Ghanaian basic and junior high schools, who get pregnant, do not return to school after giving birth with some of them married off.
By J. Ofori, Daily Mail GH
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