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Wa, Ghana – The Head of Planning, Research and Training at the Upper West Regional Health Director, Richard Basadi, has urged women in the region to walk into health facilities in the region to request for safe abortion.
He said though he was not encouraging abortion among young girls, but safe abortion should be encouraged to prevent quack doctors from taking advantage of the situation which sometimes leads to needless deaths.
Mr. Basadi made this known whiles speaking at a Star Ghana Foundation Regional Health forum in Wa on Tuesday.
The Forum which was under the Theme; ‘’Ensuring Access to quality health care services; leave No one behind ‘’ sought to initiate a conversation on the way forward for Ghana’s health sector.
As of 1985, Ghana’s law permitted abortion in cases of rape, incest or the “defilement of a female idiot;” if the life or health of the woman is in danger; or if there is risk of fetal abnormality.
To ensure that legal abortions are provided safely, the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health established protocols for the provision of safe abortion services.
These guidelines, adopted in 2006, outlined the components of comprehensive abortion care and call for expanding the base of health providers to perform first-trimester procedures.
Ghana’s liberal law notwithstanding, as of 2007 a mere 3% of pregnant women and only 6% of those seeking an abortion were aware of the legal status of abortion.
Almost half (45%) of abortions in Ghana remain unsafe.
Mr. Richard Basadi also called for the national health policy to be reviewed.
He bemoaned the Doctor–Patient Ratio in the region and called for pragmatic steps to retain doctors and other professionals.
Source : Mavis Okyere
