District Health authorities in the Gulu District health department have expressed worry over increasing unsafe abortions being practiced in teenage pregnancies.
Latest reports from the district authorities suggest that desperate pregnant teenagers have now resorted to using sticks and other sharp objects to remove unwanted fetuses.
Statistics seen from the Inpatient and Outpatient Departments in both the District and City show that a total of 474 cases of unsafe abortions were registered between 2020 and 2021in teenage girls. Of the cases, 336 were recorded in 2020 and 138 in 2021.
Yoweri Idiba, the Acting Health Officer of the Gulu district says that the majority of the teenage girls aged between 15 and 19 years sought post-abortion care at the different health facilities after failed attempts to terminate their pregnancies.
“Some have been buying abortion pills from pharmacies and drug shops while others use sharp materials like sticks to destroy the fetus. When some of them come to health centers, health workers have to remove sticks from inside, how can you use sticks to remove a pregnancy” he said
In the space of two years, Gulu district and City has registered 5,505 cases of teenage pregnancies. 2,929 in 2020 and 2,576 cases in 2021.
Abortion in Uganda is illegal unless performed by a licensed medical doctor in a situation where the woman’s life is deemed to be at risk.
The Penal Code Act penalizes abortion. However, section 22 (2) of the Constitution provides for the termination of the unborn through the performance of the surgical procedures to save the mother.
High abortion rates among teenage girls in the district have been attributed to poverty, sexual abuse and the lockdown on institutions of learning.
According to a 2021 report from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the six regions with the highest numbers of teenage tregnancies were recorded between 2019 to 2021 are Busoga: the most affected district were Kamuli (6,535) and Mayuge (6,205 teenage pregnancies). North Central: the most affected districts were Mukono (5,535) and Luweero (4,545). Lango: (Oyam 6,449 and Lira 4,697).South Central: (Wakiso 10,439 and Rakai, 2711).West Nile: (Arua 4,705 and Yumbe 3,973). Tooro/ Rwenzori: Kasese (7,319) and Kyenjojo (4,341).
It adds that 67 districts registered increase in teenage pregnancies from 2019 to 2020 Three districts had increase in teenage pregnancies by over 25 percent from 2019 to 2020.
President Museveni is set to announce the reopening of schools in his end of year address, from his country home in Rwakitura.
Last week,the Ministry of Education announced that schools will reopen for all learners on January 10 ,2022 after close to two years of lockdown.
Schools were closed on March 18,2020 to contain the spread of covid 19 lockdown in Uganda.
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