In the past two years, at least 282 teenage girls in Quang Ngai have become pregnant. Some were under 13 years old.
D. (orange shirt) is under 18 years old and pregnant - Photo: TRAN MAI
According to statistics from the Quang Ngai health sector, in 2023 and 2024, at least 282 girls between 12 and under 18 years old will become pregnant.
Teenage girls who get pregnant and give birth in Quang Ngai are mainly in 5 mountainous districts.
This is the result of sexual abuse and ignorance of children. In the five mountainous districts of Son Ha, Ba To, Tra Bong, Minh Long, Son Tay, there are cases of pregnancy before the age of 18.
Even in the delta districts such as Binh Son, Mo Duc, Tu Nghia and Quang Ngai city, there are cases of teenage girls getting pregnant, but the number is small.
According to statistics from Quang Ngai Province Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, from February to October 2024, 32 teenage girls were admitted to the hospital to give birth or have prenatal checkups due to pregnancy complications.
Meanwhile, medical centers in 5 mountainous districts received and delivered 249 girls under 18 years old.
This has been a burden for the health sector of Quang Ngai province in general and district-level medical centers in particular in recent times.
The head of a medical center in a mountainous district in Quang Ngai said that many children who came to give birth were taken by their friends, not their parents. With no money or relatives, doctors had to take care of them.
“Most of these babies have complications during childbirth, so we have to transfer them to Quang Ngai Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital for further monitoring, because the medical center does not have enough equipment to take care of the mother and baby,” he said.
Following the staff of a medical station in a mountainous commune in Quang Ngai to the house of D.TH, this girl is only 17 years old, has a 15-month-old child and is pregnant with her second child.
H. said that when she was in 10th grade, she fell in love with a boyfriend. Coupled with her family's financial difficulties and debt, H. dropped out of school and got married. Three months after the traditional wedding, she became pregnant.
The head of the health station in this mountainous commune said: “We have done all the mobilisation, propaganda and reminders, but there are still cases of teenage girls having children. They do not understand motherhood, so the station has to send staff to their homes to advise them to get vaccinated, take supplements… from pregnancy until they have children.”
“Last year, my commune had 25 pregnant and giving birth teenagers. This year, there are 22. I work in the primary health sector and understand that this is a burden for the sector. But everything that can be done has been done. Sadly, despite all the propaganda and advice, I still cannot stop it,” said the commune health officer.
Comment (0)