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Make family planning centres, antenatal clinics adolescent friendly
Stigmatisation and judgmental attitudes from some health workers have been identified as some of the factors that discourages young people from accessing care.
The interim Country Director of Right to Play Ghana, Mr Evans Sinkari, has, therefore, urged family planning centres to be more welcoming and inclusive to adolescents seeking reproductive health services.
“Young people are among the most vulnerable when it comes to reproductive health, yet they face the greatest barriers to accessing services,” he said.
In an interview with The Spectator, Mr Sinkari explained that adolescents, aged 10 to 19, were at risk of unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and sexually transmitted infections due to limited access to information and services.
He stated that many were sexually active, whether by choice, coercion, or early marriage—yet often lacked adequate knowledge of, or access to contraception.
He emphasised that health workers’ judgmental attitudes, coupled with lack of privacy and confidentiality, often shame adolescents, deterring them from seeking contraceptives.
The fear that parents or community members may discover their choices further discourages them, he noted, and added that unfriendly environments at health facilities largely designed for adults, created feelings of intimidation, while financial and social barriers limit adolescents’ decision-making power and ability to pay for care.
According to Mr Sinkari, accessible and youth-friendly family planning centres would help reduce adolescent pregnancies and associated risks.
Contraceptive access, he stressed, prevents unsafe abortions, a leading cause of maternal mortality among adolescents.
He noted that promoting health and education would also reduce unintended pregnancies, allowing young people to remain in school and realise their potential.
On adolescent pregnancy, he noted that some health workers stigmatised young mothers when they sought antenatal care.
He emphasised the need for compassion, dignity, and professionalism in treating adolescent pregnant girls, arguing that stigmatisation undermined their rights and Ghana’s public health goals.
“It is not right for health workers in Ghana or anywhere to undermine adolescent girls,” he indicated, warning that such attitudes discouraged antenatal visits, skilled delivery, and postnatal care.
Some young mothers, fearing mistreatment, turn to unsafe abortions or unqualified traditional attendants, putting their lives at risk.
“These psychological harms lead to poor maternal and child outcomes, including preterm births, low birth weight, neonatal complications, and reduced uptake of postnatal services such as child immunisation and nutrition,” he explained.
Additionally, he cautioned that negative attitudes by health professionals perpetuate a cycle of harm, discouraging care-seeking, worsening health outcomes, increasing stigma, and undermining Ghana’s health and development goals.
Citing the 1992 Constitution and international agreements ratified by Ghana, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, he stressed that all adolescents have the right to quality, non-discriminatory healthcare.
Moreover, Mr Sinkari called for full implementation of Ghana’s Adolescent Health Services Policy and the National Reproductive Health Services Policy, which emphasise creating safe, supportive, and youth-friendly health services.
He said adolescent reproductive health must be a national priority, urging the establishment of more adolescent-friendly clinics across the country to provide education, reduce stigma, and help Ghana achieve SDG 3 on health and SDG 5 on gender equality.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
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