Contraceptive Usage Low in Ghana

There is the need to intensify efforts at encouraging patronage of contraceptives, to enable the country attain the levels of usage by Anglophone countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Henrietta Odoi-Agyarko, Deputy Director of Public Health, who said this, however announced that the 1998 Ghana Demographic Health Survey (GDHS) indicated that fertility rate in the country had declined rapidly over the last decade, from six births per woman to 4.6 births.

She said Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) had increased from 5.5 per cent in 1988 to 13.3 per cent in 1998.

But more effort is required to attain the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 4.0 per cent and 28 per cent CPR by 2010.

Dr. Odoi-Agyarko was addressing a two-day workshop organised by the Stores Supplies Division and Child Health Unit of the Ministry of Health (MOH), in conjunction with the United States Agency for International Development at Sogakope on Monday.

The participants were from the Ministries of Health and Finance, the AIDS Commission, Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), NGOs involved in family planning and child care, and Ghana's development partners.

Dr Odoi Agyarko applauded the government for providing 38 million cedis towards reduction in fertility rate.

Mr. Moses Dani Baah, Deputy Minister of Health, expressed regret that health officials had often drawn and implemented programmes without paying attention to the logistics component.

He said it is essential to consider key elements in planning to ensure improvements in health status.

He said government was committed to a ensuring access to reproductive health services, reducing infant and child mortality rate by two thirds as well as maternal mortality and reversing the incidence of HIV/AIDS, by the year 2015.

Dr. Gloria Quansah, Acting National Planning Co-ordinator, said the patronage of Norplant contraceptive increased from over one million to more than eight million within the same period.

Dr Quansah called on the CEPS to check the smuggling of condoms and other contraceptives out of the country.

Mr Moses Mokasa the UNDP Representative in Ghana pledged the organisation's continued support for family planning and reproductive health activities.