By Our Reporter
Shillong: With Meghalaya being one of the few states with an alarming increase in the total fertility rate (TFR), the state health department has shifted its focus to the adolescents by setting up adolescence friendly health centres in government hospitals and some CHCs and PHCs in the state.
Informing this, a medical lecturer from the health department, Dr J Lyngwa said the government is trying to extend this service to all the CHCs and PHCs in the state while mentioning that in Shillong, the same is located in Ganesh Das Hospital and Shillong Civil Hospital.
As per data, it was mentioned that in Meghalaya about 73,000 babies are born every year which is recorded to be the highest in the north east. Meanwhile, in states like Tripura, the number stands at 43,000 a year.
Dr Lyngwa was addressing a one-day campaign on adolescence reproductive sexual health awareness organised by the Meghalaya State Council for Child Welfare (MSCCW) at Kamala Nehru Secondary School near St Edmund’s College here on Friday.
“The government is taking this problem very seriously following the current TFR status of Meghalaya and this service will provide some kind of assistance like counseling and the like”, she said adding that the people should avail these services provided to them.
Stressing on the harmful effects of pre-marital sex, Dr Lyngwa said teenage pregnancy not only endangers the baby inside the mother’s womb but also the mother whose body is still at a growing stage.
“In such circumstances, the mother usually suffers from malnutrition and anemia and in the baby inside her also becomes unhealthy resulting in growth retarded babies”, the medical lecturer stated.
Pointing out that teenage pregnancies are very common in Meghalaya, Dr Lyngwa said that the effects of pre-marital intercourse should be discussed frankly and openly by the parents and teachers with young people of both sexes.
Dr Lyngwa also stated that most of the boys in the state do not own up to their responsibility. “When a teenaged girl becomes pregnant the boy is equally responsible and it is his duty to own the baby and share the burden of the mother,” she said.
She also mentioned that many young girls who delivered their baby without any medical supervision at home could be at grave risk.
“In such situation, the birth passage of the young girl is destroyed and torn and subsequently the baby will undergo many problems like lack of oxygen and die before being delivered”, she added.
Further, to tackle this situation and promote safe sex, contraceptive pills and condoms have bee introduced, Dr Lyngwa said adding that though the government’s move is to reduce the fertility rate in the state and encourage family planning, yet the best way is abstinence from pre-marital sex and sex with multiple partners.”
Meanwhile, director, Don Bosco Youth Centre Fr Joseph Cilia highlighted that pre-marital sex is on the rise in the city adding that the harm that comes with it includes pregnancy panic, bad reputation for both the genders, guilt, sense of confusion, adolescence by-pass, children begetting children and others.
Informing that at present, pre-marital sex is practiced during early adolescence and late childhood especially in the rural areas, Dr Cilia said that such practice affects the girl more than it does the boy adding that this would subsequently lead to dropping out from school and college.
On the same note, recently retired additional director of social welfare department L Jyrwa while stating that mass awareness about teenage pregnancy should happen she called for convergence between different departments to achieve the same.
The campaign was also attended by the principal of the school E Pariat, president of the MSCCW KB Warjri, president of the school managing committee and member of the MSCCW Theilin Phanbuh, teachers, parents and students.