Teenage pregnancy rate in Malaysia alarming: MoH

SELAYANG: The pregnancy rate among Malaysian teenagers is alarming - with around 18,000 teenage pregnancies recorded in 2014, the Health Ministry revealed.
Its deputy minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya (pix) said some of the reasons that attribute to the high number of cases in teenage pregnancies were the lack of awareness among these adolescents on proper family planning and no proper guidance from their elders.
"To make matters worse, the soaring number of teenage pregnancies each year subsequently led to numerous social problems among the teens in the country," Dr Hilmi told reporters after officiating the National Contraception Workshop themed 'Think Contraception, Think Wise' at Selayang Hospital today.
He added that some of these social problems include baby dumping or abandonment which has been stagnant since 2008 to 2013 with 90 cases each year.
"Police's data of baby dumping from 2005 to 2010 revealed that Selangor recorded the highest number of cases with 105 in total, followed by Johor and Sabah with 83 and 65 cases respectively," he added.
Therefore, he said, sound knowledge on family planning and its benefits need be conveyed to the teenagers to ensure their future would not be ruined as a result of getting pregnant at a young age.
"At the same time, it is important for us to strengthen the knowledge of family planning among the specialist officers, medical personnel as well as paramedics at all healthcare centres in the country.
"This move will greatly help convey the right message to these adolescents in making the correct decision so that all the pregnancies are desired and planned," Dr Hilmi explained.