By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu, GNA
Bolgatanga, July 3, GNA – Dr Braimah Baba Abubakari, the Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has called on healthcare workers to sustain community-based services for pregnant adolescents beyond donor-supported interventions.
He stressed that home visits and psychosocial support were essential to reducing maternal deaths and improving health outcomes.
He encouraged healthcare workers to continue applying the knowledge acquired regardless of whether development partners such as UNICEF remained involved or not.
“Whether UNICEF is there or not, once we acquire these skills, we should be able to carry out home visits without limitations if we are to implement our programmes effectively,” he said.
Dr Abubakari made this remarks at a two-day training programme organized by the Upper East Regional Health Directorate with support from UNICEF for community health nurses, midwives and mental health officers.
The training aimed to strengthen their capacity to respond effectively to the unique health needs of adolescents.
Dr Abubakari observed that limiting care to health facilities alone could increase the number of clients lost to follow-up, treatment defaults, and missed antenatal appointments, particularly among vulnerable adolescents.
He noted that many pregnant adolescents avoided health facilities due to fear of stigma, discrimination, and the psychosocial challenges associated with early pregnancy.
The Regional Director explained that integrating mental health and psychosocial support into maternal healthcare was therefore critical to protecting the lives of young mothers.
“Some adolescents hide their pregnancies because they fear stigma. This training is important because it equips health workers to address the psychosocial and mental health challenges associated with adolescent pregnancy,” he stated.
Dr Abubakari further observed that while some adolescents regretted becoming pregnant, healthcare providers had a responsibility to support them rather than judge them.
Citing findings from the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey, the Regional Director revealed that about 14 percent of antenatal care attendees were between the ages of 15 and 19.
He however, cautioned against assuming that all adolescent pregnancies resulted from irresponsible behaviour, saying “Some of these young women are legally married, yet they are still classified as adolescents because of their age.
“We should be careful not to portray every adolescent pregnancy as a result of promiscuity,” the Regional Director said.
He explained that although some adolescent pregnancies occurred within marriage, young mothers still faced significant health risks as many were not yet physically or anatomically mature for childbirth.
He noted that they required counselling, close monitoring, and continuous support to prevent pregnancy-related complications and maternal deaths.
Dr Abubakari urged health workers to integrate adolescent mental health interventions into routine primary healthcare services to maximize the benefits of the Fee Primary Healthcare policy.
He expressed confidence that strengthening the capacity of frontline health workers and reducing stigma surrounding adolescent pregnancy would improve maternal healthcare delivery and contribute to better outcomes for young mothers across the region.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali /Kenneh Odeng Adade
Reporter: Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Email: [email protected]