7,501 Women died from abortion in the Kumasi Metropolis
The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana health service has revealed that 7,501 women died from the termination of unwanted pregnancies between 2014 and the end of 2015.
This, according to the service makes abortion the 3rd cause of maternal deaths in the Kumasi metropolis.
Dr. kwasi Yeboah Awudzi, Ashanti regional deputy director of public health expressed worry about the high rate of abortions, particularly among adolescents, adding that, it does not help the fight against maternal deaths.
Abortion among adolescents, he revealed constituted 44 per cent of the total of 3,951 officially reported cases of maternal deaths in the region last year, whiles in 2014, abortion constituted 39% of a total figure of 3,550 maternal deaths.
Dr. Awudzi described the situation as disturbing, considering the fact that abortion was one of the major causes of maternal deaths.
He encouraged young people to either abstain from pre-marital sex or use contraceptives to avoid unwanted pregnancies.
He warned against unprotected sex which leads to unwanted pregnancies this Christmas adding that ”Christmas which should have been used to celebrate the birth of the savior Jesus Christ, has now been turned into a time to have sex.”
Madam Rita Anafo, the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, complained about the low acceptance of Family Planning in the Ashanti region and called for a radical change.
She put the coverage at just 22 per cent and called for more efforts to expand coverage.
Source: otecfmghana
