BACOLOD City – The Provincial Health Office (PHO) will extend help to local government units (LGUs) and the local schools division of the Department of Education (DepEd) in addressing the growing number of teenage pregnancies in Negros Occidental.
To recall, the PHO recently released data showing that there were 6,026 pregnant teenagers out of the 39,411 pregnant mothers in Negros Occidental in 2022.
Last year, there were 5,271 teenagers among the 35,628 total pregnancies.
The youngest case was a 12-year-old, PHO head Dr. Girlie Pinongan disclosed.
Pinongan noted that although teenage pregnancy dropped in 2023, they still regard it as alarming.
Don Salvador Benedicto town has the highest cases of teenage pregnancies.
She further noted that a large majority of the teenage mothers were out-of-school youths.
According to Pinongan, the LGUs are actively strengthening their campaign against early pregnancy.
The PHO has already introduced intervention programs. A Family Planning Training Center was established at the provincial government-run Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH) in Silay City.
Dr. Mary Ann Maestral, TLJPH head, said the facility can help address the growing number of teenage pregnancies in Negros Occidental as it is the very first provincial hospital in the region whose Family Planning Training Center is certified by the Department of Health. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
