40% of Christmas babies born to teen mothers

KWAZULU-NATAL Health MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, gave Vryheid Hospital a clean bill of health, following a surprise visit on 28 December and also expressed great concern over the fact that 40% of Christmas babies born at the hospital were from teenage mothers.
“Teenage pregnancy is not a Department of Health matter. We pick up the consequences of this along the way. It is rather a societal matter that should be taken up by civil society at large, and discouraged,” the MEC said.
Dr Dhlomo stated that the South African government always encourages abstinence from sex for as long as possible, until one is physically and psychologically ready to deal with its consequences.
“For those who cannot abstain from sex, we encourage the use of dual protection, which promotes medical male circumcision and the use of condoms during every episode of sexual contact for men; and combining this with the use of female contraceptive methods. This ensures protection against both sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and unwanted pregnancies,” he said.
The KZN Department of Health recently launched the Adolescent and Youth User-Friendly health initiative. The aim of this campaign is to change the attitude of certain health workers who tend to judge young people who visit health care facilities to seek reproductive health services.
MEC Dhlomo paid the hospital a surprise visit and went on to inspect the hospital’s maternity ward, post-natal ward, mother’s lodge, paediatric ward and the pharmacy.
And the verdict? The MEC was happy with the management and upkeep of the hospital, which he found to be clean inside and outside.
“It is actually pleasing to make an unannounced visit to a health facility and find it functioning optimally. Our compatriots have high expectations about the health service delivery in our country. In fact, the National Health Insurance, National Core Standards and Ideal Clinic programmes all envision a working health system. So, it is humbling to find people doing the right thing. It bears testimony to what we always say about the importance of doing right, even when nobody is watching,” Dr Dhlomo said.
However, the MEC expressed his concern that out of the 18 mothers who gave birth at this hospital on Christmas Day, 4 were aged 17, and another 4 were aged 18.
“It is quite concerning that over 40% of Christmas babies at this hospital were teenage mothers.
Dr Dhlomo said he was, nevertheless, happy that Vryheid Hospital has noted the areas where these teenage mothers are coming from. This will assist Government to intervene in these areas through Operation Sukuma Sakhe.
He also went on to say that it was heart-warming to see that Vryheid Hospital, which serves a deeply rural community, has a functioning mothers’ lodge where mothers wait for labour to start within the hospital.
The MEC said the Department of Transport should be commended for continuously building bridges over rivers that previously prevented ambulances from reaching all needy communities.