KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane speaks to a mother who gave birth on New Year’s Day. As KwaZulu-Natal welcomed dozens of New Year’s Day babies across the province, health authorities used the moment of celebration to sound a stark warning about the persistent and troubling rate of child and teenage pregnancy. Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane announced that by 3pm on New Year’s Day, 179 babies had been born in the province’s public hospitals with 91 girls and 88 boys.
Among the earliest arrivals was “the first baby of the year, a baby boy,” born just after midnight at Queen Nandi Regional Hospital to a 31-year-old mother, weighing 1.8kg. Several other hospitals, including RK Khan, Nseleni, and Mahatma Gandhi hospitals, followed within minutes, underscoring the busy start to the year for maternity wards. However, beneath the celebratory statistics lies a more sobering reality.
Simelane expressed her displeasure over the high number of young mothers.Health officials stressed that “we continue to be concerned over the rate of child and teenage pregnancy,” particularly as updated data shows that “21 of the mothers are teenagers,” a figure that remains under verification. Health officials stressed that “we continue to be concerned over the rate of child and teenage pregnancy,” particularly as updated data shows that “21 of the mothers are teenagers,” a figure that remains under verification. The concern is not new.On Christmas Day alone, the province recorded 302 births, and “alarmingly, 70 mothers were teenagers, with the youngest being three 15-year-old girls.” One case involved a 16-year-old girl, who was impregnated by a 32-year-old man.
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