Tema-Ghana, July 26, GNA – Mr Isaac Akoa, a Radiographer at the Pleasant Health Centre at Ashiaman Middle East, near Tema, has advised women to go for an ultrasound scan before deciding to have an abortion.
He insisted that any form of abortion without a prior ultrasound scan was dangerous and accounted for several abortion-related deaths.
“An ultrasound scan should precede any form of abortion, legal or illegal, as it is one of the most vital steps to ensure the health and safety of the patient,” he said.
Mr Akoa gave the advice at the weekly health communication platform, dubbed: “Your Health, Our Collective Responsibility,” initiated by the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office, to help improve health information dissemination.
Speaking on the topic: “Deciding on a method of abortion without a prior ultrasound scan,” he said an ultrasound gave information on whether a pregnancy was developing in the uterus, or it was an ectopic pregnancy.
“If you have an ectopic pregnancy, which means the fertilised egg is attached outside of the uterus, you need to seek emergency medical attention. This is important because an ectopic pregnancy could be life-threatening,” he said.
He observed that several abortion-related deaths could be avoided if there was an initial ultrasound scan to know the state of the pregnancy before deciding to abort.
