Teenage deliveries on the rise at Vanivilas Hospital in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Over 1,500 cases of teenage pregnancies are registered in the city in the course of a year, data from the government-run Vanivilas Hospital has revealed.

Among the pregnant women admitted to Vanivilas Hospital in the last one year, a majority of them are minors with more than 1,500 cases of teen pregnancies being registered. The reason for this is that they got married at a young age during the Covid pandemic. The young girls belong to lower middle-class and poor families. It has been found that many child marriages are taking place and young girls get pregnant and are admitted to the hospital for delivery.

“Every year, 1,000–1,500 teenage pregnancies are registered and of them, a majority of them are POCSO cases. Many young girls who get married under the age of 18 get pregnant and come to the hospital for deliveries. If they are less than 18 years old, we have to send a mandatory police report. Many young girls who were married during the Covid pandemic are getting pregnant and coming for delivery”, said Dr Savita, Medical Officer at Vanivilas Hospital.

Dr Savita, Medical Officer at Vanivilas Hospital

“The rules must be followed by parents, but people of lower economic social status conduct child marriages, resulting in teen pregnancies. The main reason for banning child marriage is because of health-related complications. The child will be malnourished and there will be complications for the newborns as well. Many complicated cases come here from all over the state. C-sections are more common in teenage pregnancies due to complications”, she added.