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Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health workers operating at the Kigorobya Health Center IV in Hoima district are concerned over the increasing cases of teenage pregnancies and early marriages in the area.
Information obtained from the health facility reveals that it receives more than 30 cases of teenage pregnancies monthly. Most of the girls are aged between 14 to 15 years.
Dr. Lawrence Baluku, the Facility’s In Charge says most of the young girls experience complications while giving birth. He said many have had to deliver through C-section because of their tender bodies.
He has attributed the teenage pregnancy cases to the high rate of school dropouts in the area.
Baluku called for access to adolescent sexual reproductive health services, especially for those who are not in school.
He has called on leaders and health experts in the district to work together to save young girls from early pregnancies and complications during childbirth.
Baluku has also rallied parents in the area to ensure they keep their girls in school to prevent such cases.
A 15-year-old girl who was found at the facility says that she was impregnated by a man who denied the pregnancy and later abandoned her.
David Karubanaga, the Kigorobya County member of parliament called for immediate intervention to address the issue and urged leaders at all levels to join efforts to fight teenage pregnancy cases in the county and the district at large. He attributed the trend to high school dropout cases and lack of parental support, especially for girls.
According to a survey conducted by Makerere University School of Public Health between September 2021 and October 2022, Bunyoro and Tooro are the leading regions in teenage pregnancies in Uganda.
The survey then revealed that Bunyoro alone registered 25,054 cases of early pregnancies among girls aged between 15-19 years in 2022, up from 29,234 in 2021, with the most affected districts being Kikuube, Kibaale, and Kagadi. Hoima is one of the districts with high rates of teenagers infected with HIV.
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