Over 32,000 teenage pregnancies have been recorded in Eastern Province by the Provincial Health Office from last year 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.

ZANIS reports that Provincial Health Director Mathews Ngambi said despite concerted efforts by the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to combat the social evils, the province continues to grapple with alarmingly high numbers of teenage pregnancies.

According to Dr Ngambi the province has seen a staggering 32,000 cases of teenage pregnancies reported between 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, surpassing figures from other provinces.

“The number stands quite high among all the provinces of Zambia and it worries me,” he said.

 
Additionally, in the 2023 data, the province recorded a total of 93,000 new HIV infections, with 610 of these cases affecting adolescents directly.

He attributed the numbers to the things happening within the community setup such as broken down systems, GBV and families lacking economically among others.

Dr Ngambi emphasised that the Ministry of Health was actively collaborating with various ministries and local Chiefs to ensure that all teenagers affected by these challenges received essential services to address their needs.

“For us as a sector, we value the good health of adolescents as they are the future of our country. We are working with Chiefs, Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Community Development so that all teenagers that fall victim to these vices receive the needed services,” he said.

He further stated that as a ministry there were programmes in place to cater for all adolescents across the 15 districts.

Data-driven insights provide a critical foundation for informed decision-making and resource allocation to effectively address these intertwined health issues.

Eastern province has continued to record high numbers of teenage pregnancies for some time now.