City Health plans ahead to curb unplanned teen pregnancies

Jaimie-faith Poonah
25 May 2015

City Health is finessing existing interventions to further reduce the rate of teen pregnancy in the city, which has dropped from 5.3% of births recorded in 2006 to 4.4% in 2013.

This is below the provincial and national averages.

The City of Cape Town’s Health Directorate plans to expand its network to try and reach more young people on matters around sexual and reproductive health in order to help reduce the number of teenage pregnancies.

Mayoral Committee Member for Health, Councillor Siyabulela mamkeli said we are still talking about more then 3 000 babies born to young women.

Mamkeli said having a baby does not only have a financial impact on the family but it also has an emotional and psychological impact on the young mother.

Mamkeli added that there is also the risk that young mother’s drop out of school, reducing their chances of economic opportunities and also compromising her child’s future well-being.