This was disclosed by the Greater Accra Regional Adolescent Health Coordinator, Madam Diana Bona.
It has been revealed that nine-hundred and eighty-six (986) adolescent girls in the Greater Accra Region committed illegal abortions in the year 2017.
This was disclosed by the Greater Accra Regional Adolescent Health Coordinator, Madam Diana Bona, during the Kwesi Plange Adolescent Health Community Club outreach programme held at Tema.
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Out of the number, 31 girls who engaged in illegal termination of their pregnancies were aged between 10 and 14, whiles 955 adolescent girls were aged between 15 and 19 years.
The figure, Madam Bona said, represented abortion cases reported to the various health centres due to complications and were subsequently referred to the Adolescent health corners.
Touching on the rising number of teenage pregnancies, she said 9,907 cases were recorded among girls aged between 10 and 19 recorded in the Greater Accra Region.
According to her, out of the total number, 231 girls aged between 10 and 14 were pregnant in 2017.
She further stated that attempts by health professionals to get adolescents to abstain from pre-marital sex have so far not been fruitful, adding that 13,003 of them had been put on various family planning methods as a result.
She said 508 of those put on family planning were sexually active girls aged between 10 and 14 years.
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Madam Bona indicated that there has also been an increase in adolescents who have acquired Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
According to her, a total of 1,242 teenagers reported to the adolescent corners in the Region with infections.
She encouraged adolescents to visit the 36 adolescent corners in the Region and to join youth clubs that will help to develop their knowledge about such issues.