Mrs Aryee was speaking at the 2017 Annual Review of the Directorate at Odumase in the Brong-Ahafo Region. Although the District Health Director could not immediately support her claim with statistics, she said the promiscuous lives of adolescent people remained the leading cause in the spread of HIV in the area.

Mrs Aryee expressed satisfaction with the high coverage in family planning acceptance in the district, but regretted about the rise in teenage pregnancy in the district. She lauded the increase in male involvement in the provision of maternal and child health activities, and commended staff of the Directorate for their dedication and commitment to duty.

That notwithstanding, Mrs Aryee identified inadequate funding, ageing vehicles, and late reimbursement of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) claims as some of the challenges that faced the Directorate.

Mr Martin Obeng, the Sunyani West District Chief Executive said alcoholism, drug abuse and its peddling among the youth in the area remained a huge challenge that required concerted efforts to control.