Greater Masaka ranks high in teenage pregnancies
Teenage pregnancies became rampant at the onset of Covid-19. Photo/File
What you need to know:
- The survey was conducted in about 80 districts in Western, West Nile, North Central, South Central, Eastern and East Central where the RISE Programme has been running since 2019
South Central Region, which comprises the districts of Greater Masaka, is still stuck with high cases of teenage pregnancies and high mortality rate, a new report by Maries Stopes has revealed.
The survey was conducted in about 80 districts in Western, West Nile, North Central, South Central, Eastern and East Central where the RISE Programme has been running since 2019.
The RISE Programme is an initiative aimed at combating maternal mortality and enhancing sexual reproductive health outcomes in Uganda.
In South Central region, Sembabule District leads with 19 percent of cases of teenage pregnancies, down from 17 percent five years ago. Masaka District is second with 18 percent cases, down from 17 percent while the districts of Lyantonde and Bukomansimbi have 17 percent and 18 percent, respectively.
The report, however, shows that some districts have been helped by the RISE Programme to tremendously reduce the rate of teenage pregnancies. For example, teenage pregnancies in Kalangala District have in the last five years declined from 18 percent to 10 percent, Kyotera District from 20 percent to 16 percent, and Lwengo District from 19 percent to 16 percent.
Mr Martin Seruyange, a researcher and biostatistician for Masaka City, says some districts have exhibited a stagnation in the number of teenage pregnancies due to several social cultural factors and economic factors.
“However, there are those [districts] that have shown an improvement due to the efforts employed by the stakeholders empowered by the programme,” he says.
For example Mukono District, according to the report, has recorded some strides in tackling teenage pregnancies from 19 percent to 15 percent, Luweero from 20 percent to 15 percent, and Kyankwanzi from 19 percent to 15 percent. Mr Sseruyange says there is an urgent need to sensitise communities about embracing modern contraceptive measures to address this situation.
Ms Margret Nannozzi, the Mpigi District assistant health officer-in-charge of maternal and child health, calls for continuous engagement of all stakeholders at all levels. “In Mpigi, we are engaging school administrators and district councillors to always convey messages against teenage pregnancies,” she says.
Dr Patrick Kasendwa, the Masaka City health officer, asks the government to continue supporting increased use of family planning modalities to curb mortality rates and teenage pregnancies.
Additional reporting by ESTHER NAMUGWE
