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Arua, Uganda | URN | Concerns are mounting among leaders and health officials over the rising cases of teenage pregnancies and the associated health risks in Arua.
Nationally, teenage pregnancy prevalence stands at 24 percent. However, Arua records a higher rate at 26 percent, while the wider West Nile region stands at 37 percent.
Districts such as Madi Okollo, Pakwach, Zombo, and Nebbi have been identified as hotspots with particularly high teenage pregnancy rates.
According to records from the Arua Regional Referral Hospital’s Maternal and Child Health Department, 37 out of every 100 pregnant mothers are teenagers aged between 14 and 17 years.
Health officials say the situation is worsened by increasing poverty and is compounded by serious medical complications, including obstructed or prolonged labour, maternal exhaustion and distress, repeated caesarean sections, and, in some cases, loss of the womb.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that out of every 100,000 pregnant women, 189 die due to pregnancy and childbirth-related causes, with teenage mothers accounting for a significant proportion of these deaths.
Dr. Victor Afayo, a gynaecologist at Arua Regional Referral Hospital and coordinator of the local maternity and neonatal system in West Nile, says that out of every 20 mothers who deliver at the facility, five are teenagers.
Dr. Afayo emphasizes the need for urgent intervention by all stakeholders to address the growing trend and its health implications.
Similarly, Rose Anguparu, a midwife at Arua Regional Referral Hospital, is calling for preventive and community-based measures to reduce teenage pregnancy rates. She also urges parents to take a more active role in providing sexual education and guidance to their children.
Arua District LC5 Chairperson Alfred Okuonzi describes the situation as alarming and calls for collective efforts to tackle the challenge.
Ismail Tuku, Prime Minister of the Lugbara Cultural Institution, is urging cultural, religious, and local government leaders across West Nile to take decisive action.
He notes that the Lugbara Kari initiative already has programmes aimed at addressing teenage pregnancies.
Despite government interventions such as universal education aimed at keeping children, especially girls, in school, teenage pregnancy and its associated health complications remain a persistent challenge in West Nile and across Uganda.
