Bengaluru, April 7: The Karnataka government issued an order on Tuesday mandating a statewide audit of all cases of teenage pregnancy among girls aged 10 to 18. This initiative aims to strengthen monitoring, prevention, and support systems. The order was implemented immediately by Pradeep Kumar B.S., the Under Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department.
According to the government, this measure addresses teenage pregnancy as a significant public health and social concern. It is linked to maternal health risks, adverse birth outcomes, school dropouts, and social vulnerabilities. Despite existing programs like the National Health Mission (NHM) and the National Adolescent Health Program, teenage pregnancies persist, indicating gaps in awareness, access to reproductive health services, child marriage, and educational dropouts.
Under the new directive, all cases of teenage pregnancies must be reported by both public and private health institutions to the Reproductive and Child Health platform. Each case will be audited by the Taluk Health Officer. The audit will review factors such as age at marriage, educational status, awareness of reproductive health, access to contraceptive and counseling services, and socio-economic vulnerabilities, alongside existing programs like RKSK, Integrated Child Development Services, and school health initiatives.
An audit committee will be formed at the taluk level, chaired by the Taluk Health Officer. This committee will include medical officers from primary health centers, health inspectors or female health visitors, ASHA and Anganwadi supervisors, and school representatives where applicable. The government has also instructed to strengthen counseling services through existing mechanisms like Sneha Centers and ensure the availability of contraceptive services and pregnancy testing kits as per program guidelines.
Additionally, there is a directive to identify and map vulnerable adolescents, including school dropouts, migrants, and those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
District Health Officers will oversee the implementation of this order at the district level, while progress reviews will be conducted at the state level by the Deputy Director. Officials have been instructed to classify cases as preventable or non-preventable and suggest corrective measures. The Deputy Commissioner at the district level and the Mission Director at the state level will periodically review this initiative.
The order emphasizes strict confidentiality and adherence to legal provisions, including mandatory reporting requirements under child protection laws. The government clarified that this initiative will be implemented within the existing framework and budget to avoid any additional financial burden on the state treasury.
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