The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has inaugurated three Adolescent Reproductive Health Counselling Centres (ARHCC) to boost adolescent health needs of Diabenekrom, Kojokrom and Essipun.
The facilities have counselling, meeting and wash rooms.
The project, funded by the European Union (EU) Twin -City Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP) and executed by STMA, would also address youth-related issues including teenage pregnancy, child prostitution, illicit use of drugs and gender- based violence.
The Midwife Officer In-charge of Diabenekrom Community-Based Health Planning Services (CHPS) compound, Ms Diana Adjo Abbah, said at the hand over that ARHCC would make a difference in reproductive health access in the area.
She reported that, when she assumed duty at Diabenekrom in 2016, most patients who attended antenatal clinic, were teenagers, and so, her team began house- to -house visits to educate the girls on teenage pregnancy and sexual health.
“The rate of teenage pregnancy was about 65 per cent, but, the figure has been halved downwards and to date, it’s about 25 per cent. We feel very great that this beautiful centre will further boost our work in adolescent health and reproductive services, and, together with the community we’ll tackle teenage pregnancies,” Ms Abbah remarked.
The Honouary Consular for Ghana and Parlemo, Italy, Franceso Campagna, was happy that ARHCCs showed a real and strong sign of what could be done possible in taking care of life.
He said “We are talking about life- the future—and if a project talks about the future and puts the teenagers, the youth, in the centre, as main players, as main actors, it is a good project. A project that puts apart the youth, has no success.”
The Metropolitan Chief Executive for STMA, Abdul-Mumin Issah, said the EU-funded ARHCC was strategically selected in response to the needs of the growing population and youth- related issues such as teenage pregnancy, child prostitution, school dropouts, irregular migration and gender-based violence.
Mr Issah said the centres are provided with a clear vision to empower the youth with the knowledge, resources and the guidance they needed to make informed decision about their health and lives.
“Together, we have built a place where our youth can receive accurate information on reproductive health, mental well- being, build their self -confidence and personal safety,” he assured.
The Metropolitan Health Director, Dr Pius Mensah, said research had shown that the adolescent groups were faced with privacy barriers due to cultural settings, and so, it was not too easy for a young ones to walk to a facility to talk about sexual and reproductive health.
The facilities, Dr Mensah explained, would enable the adolescents to walk in and get the information they wanted, noting that, “parents, the elders, mothers are not too comfortable, because they think that giving information on sex issue will make their children a bit spoiled.”
The Chief of Essipun, Nana Kofi Abuna, expressed the hope that the EU and partners would soon realise the benefits of the AHRCCs.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, DIABENEKROM