Karnataka govt mandates audit for teenage pregnancies; committee formed

The government has mandated audit for adolescent pregnancy cases across government and private hospitals in the state.

The audit will help in facilitating early identification, counselling and preventive interventions through convergence with allied departments. 

The Taluk Health Officers (THO) must implement the audit and record all the pregnancies occurring among girls aged between 10 and 18 years. The hospitals, both private and government, must record the teenage pregnancies on Rural Child Health (RCH) web portal. The audit will examine the age at which the girl was married, educational status and her school attendance records. The awareness on reproductive health and access to contraception and counselling services and the social and economic status of the family will also be considered for audit. 

The committee will be headed by THO and will comprise Medical Secretary of Primary Health Centre, Health Inspector, ASHA and Anganwadi supervisor and a school representative based on the necessity of the case. The Sneha centres, that were established in rural areas to provide counselling services, will also provide counselling to the adolescent girls. A provision for contraceptives and pregnancy testing kits will also be made.

The committee will also identify and map vulnerable adolescent girls, including school dropouts, migrants and socially vulnerable households. Counselling for Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) for pregnant teenage girls will also be provided. 

The District Health Officer (DHO) and Deputy Director for Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakrama at the state-level will be responsible for the audit and will monitor the auditing. The cases will be divided as preventable and non-preventable. 

All cases will be handled with strict confidentiality and in accordance with applicable legal provisions, including mandatory reporting requirements under relevant child protection laws, the order read.