Buikwe leaders stuck with teenage pregnancies as numbers surge

Buikwe District is grappling with a surge in teenage mothers with authorities stuck on how to manage the situation.

The District Health Officer, Dr Richard Bbosa, said the rate of teenage pregnancies has risen from 18 to 20 per cent during the second lockdown.

"Most of these girls go through hard times which tempts them to involve in early sex- and have a lot of free time as they don't go for work or studies," he explained.

He appealed to them to stop getting involved in such acts that may spoil their future and wait for school reopening that’s planned for January 2022.

Dr Bbosa said due to the high number of pregnant girls, they have gotten some partners from World Vision who are moving village to village to sensitise child mothers.

"The teenage mothers have also been encouraged to involve themselves in income generating activities so as to support their babies," Dr Bbosa said.

The early pregnancies were mostly reported in Najja Sub-county, Kiyindi Town Council and Buikwe Town Council. At Makonge Medical Center in Kiyindi Landing Site, over 70 girls aged 10-17 were found seeking antenatal help when Daily Monitor visited. 

The village health teams and local area leaders fault parents who they say have remained silent on issues concerning sex among adolescents.

Godfrey Lubanga, a health official at Kiyindi Landing Site, said ‘‘immediate action is needed’’ adding that ‘‘there are men who do not mind getting into sexual intercourse with the young girls and they have to be eliminated.’’

Alyebo Merabu, a medical officer and the in-charge at Makonge Community Health Center, said they received 60 teenagers seeking antenatal care in the last quarter.

"We sometimes get more than 70 teenage expectant mothers turning up for antenatal care and also those who want to deliver but the space is not enough," she said.

She added that they rented out some buildings to accommodate the increasing number but the labour ward and admission rooms for women are still very small.

She called on the government to intervene and help in securing enough space to accommodate the women in the facility.

‘Poor families’

Olivia Kato, the in-charge of Buikwe Health Center III, noted that they receive 10 to 14 underage girls seeking antennal care per week and that most of them get complications during pregnancy and delivery. 

‘‘Most of these young girls come from poor families and cannot afford basic items. In many cases, their male lovers leave the relationship when the girls conceive,’’ she said.

The area Woman MP, who is also State Minister in the Office of the Vice President, Ms Diana Mutasingwa, donated ‘Mama Kits’ to the teenage mothers and hospital beds to the health facilities as she appealed to authorities ‘‘to play their role to end teenage pregnancies.’’

Buikwe District has 65 health facilities including five hospitals and 13 health centre IIIs. Only two of the 65 health facilities were visited and both had over 100 teenage mothers.