Health and Education Ministries try to tackle teenage pregnancies

The youngest teenage pregnancy recorded in Fiji this year is a 12-year-old girl.

This is confirmed by Permanent Secretary of Health Dr. Eloni Tora.

Doctor Tora said according to their health facilities, they have recorded a total of 917 teenage pregnancies for the period of April to September this year.

The Ministry of Health is working closely with the Ministry of Education through three programs to tackle teenage pregnancies.

Dr. Tora said the first program is the family life education where teachers take a session with students on family life and talk about issues such as teenage pregnancies, reproductive health issues and sexual health components.

He said the second program is where students are trained by Health Personnel and the Ministry of Education to become advocates for Sexual and Reproductive Health in schools.

He added the third program is where Peer Educators in the 19 Sub-Divisions in Fiji visit all primary schools once every year talking about sexual and reproductive health with the school team while the secondary schools are visited depending on requests.