SKYROCKETING TEENAGE PREGNANCIES WORRY MASINDI AUTHORITIES

By ANDAMA MOSES

MASINDI

The High number of teenage pregnancy cases registered at Bwijanga health center iv in Bwijanga subcounty Masindi district is worrying authorities .

According to Dr Cris Muhumuza, the In-charge clinical services Bwijanga health center iv, they recieve over 600 teenage mothers within a period of 6 months and over 100 in month something he says needs urgent intervention.

“We have very big burden of teenage pregnancies, in month we receive over 100 teenagers in antenatal unit between the age of 15-18 and out of those over 30 deliver from our facility and majority don’t turn up here , some under go home delivery by traditional birth attendants and others at near by health facilities. Muhumuza asserted ”

Muhumuza attributed this cause to poor family back ground where most of the teenagers failed to complete their studies hence dropping out very early and become idle thus end up getting pregnancy .
He adds that most of those who report to deliver at the health center don’t have delivery kit(mama kit) despite the health education they give them and attributed it poverty and poor planning during their antenatal time.

Muhumuza revealed this while recieving mama kits that were delivered by Safe plan mother’s foundation Uganda to Bwijanga health center iv on behalf of Incharge who had some engagement.

Muhumuza says they have been getting delivery kits from the government through ministry of health since the population has grown .the kits have become limited.

Now that the population has grown some expectant mothers don’t get the kits we appreciate organisations that come out and support government through delivering such important necessities.

“a Mother who is below age of 18 is still growing and thus the pelvis is not large enough to push the baby most of them end up been operated and each operation increases the risk of being operated again . You can only be operated 4 times maximum and since those are still young mothers and by the age of 30 they would have lost other opportunities of producing again Muhumuza noted.”

While handing over the kits to the health center authorities , James Mudede the chairman lc3 of the area says parents have not taken much time to advise their children. Most of them leave their children to go and work in bars, sugarcane, and lodges and in most times people get advantage of pregnanting them in such places .

He says after the sub county experiencing such high case of teenage pregnancies, as leaders in order to cub the situation they have come up with sone resolutions among which includes ;parents to stop sending their children to go and work in bars and lodges, and also people who always want to give jobs to people should ask for their national i identity cards in order to differentiate between teenagers and adults.

Mudede says early pregnancy can lead to maternal death at the time of giving birth especially for teenagers and also there will be high rate of school drop out in the area since the their parents cant afford their education due to teenage age.

Sherifa Nabule Ceo Safe plan mother’s foundation Uganda says they care about well being of mothers and support them by lobbying for them delivery kits so that they can have safe and healthy child delivery .

21 kits where given out to the expectant teenage mothers .

Above is dr cris Muhumuza speaking to journalists after recieving the kits. Bellow him is group photo for the expectant mothers who received the kits