The President of Pediatrics Society of Ghana, Dr Hilda Mantebea Boye has encouraged parents to introduce family planning methods to their sexually active adolescents.
According to her, that is a prudent option since abstinence is not yielding the desired outcome.
“When it is difficult to stop them, a family planning method is what they need to prevent them from STI’s (Sexually Transmitted Infections) and pregnancies. That is better than your advice to the girl to stop having sex, which she will not heed to,” she stated.
She said the barrier method, which involves the use of condoms, should be the first option for those who are sexually active.
“We will encourage more of the condom usage. If you are an adolescent and sexually active use condoms not just for pregnancy prevention, but STI too”.
Dr Mantebea Boye asserted that children of today are highly exposed to sexual contents which makes them explore everything they come across.
Speaking on TV3’s NewDay show with Naa Ashorkor, September 7, she said, “For many surveys that have been done, you see that when you talk about HIV you mentioned 40,000 cases. Generally, if you look at the people who have new infections for HIV, you are likely to have close to a half of them being within the adolescent population, aged between 10- 19.”
The medical doctor added that teenage pregnancy is thriving in some communities.
“Not exactly that teenage pregnancy is on the low. Depending on the communities, I remember there was an article on Central Region and some other regions. During the time of COVID, we saw higher numbers. Even in areas where they can use contraceptives, they are not using them,” Dr. Boye noted.
She advised adolescents who contract STI’s to seek help, because there are facilities that are adolescent and youth-friendly.
“When you come in as an adolescent, nobody is going to judge you, nobody is going to sack you, nobody is going to insist that go and bring your mother or father or caregiver before you receive treatment,” she assured.
Dr. Boye stated that staff of some Public Health Centres and NGOs give out condoms for free during festive occasions, because when people are happy they are prone to having sex.
She bemoaned the fact that unsafe abortions among adolescent girls is high and encouraged them to visit a health facility when they become pregnant.
‘’If you are pregnant and you want an abortion you still have to walk into a heath facility. Your health care professional will have a conversation with you, discuss and give you whatever options that there are. If it is just an abortion that is required, then depending on the situation, it may be done,” she said.