Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A total of 24 minor girls have given birth in the Government Medical College and Hospital during the last five months. This matter is raising serious concerns in society regarding child marriage, sexual abuse or physical exploitation of teenage girls.
Teenage pregnancy is considered very dangerous not only from a social but also from a medical point of view. Pregnancy and childbirth can be life-threatening for girls whose bodies are not fully developed. In such a case, there is a high possibility of complications during delivery, anaemia, and postpartum infection, as well as an impact on the health of the newborn. During the five months from January to May, 24 pregnant minors have given birth in the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department of the GMCH.
Box
Cases under ‘POCSO’
If a pregnant woman is under the age of 18, a case is registered under the POCSO Act in all such cases. The hospital informs the police system. Further investigation and action is taken by the police.
Box
Private hospital data not available
Although there is an official record of minor girls delivering babies in government hospitals. It is expected that similar deliveries will be done in many private hospitals in the city. However, official data from these hospitals is not easily available, which makes the complete picture unclear.
Box
Informed police
A total of 24 minor pregnant women gave birth in the GMCH between January and May. The MLC of every minor delivery is reported to the police. Further action is taken by them. Efforts are made to ensure that minor pregnant women give birth safely.
(Dr Shrinivas Gadappa, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, GMCH)