Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
Stakeholders in Matabeleland South have expressed concern over persistently high teenage pregnancy rates in the province, where the prevalence stands at 27 percent, above the national average of 23 percent.
According to the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC), an estimated 40 percent of the province’s 190,000 women of reproductive age (15-49 years) are not using modern contraceptive methods, with many remaining outside formal family planning programmes.
The figures have heightened concerns over child sexual exploitation, early sexual activity, and limited uptake of reproductive health services among young people.
Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of a recent Provincial Social Development, Gender and Social Protection
Pillar meeting, ZNFPC Matabeleland South provincial manager Mr Blessed Gumbi said early and unprotected sexual activity continues to expose young girls to a range of challenges, including school dropouts, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and HIV infection.
He said strengthening community awareness, increasing male involvement in family planning and improving access to reproductive health services are critical to reducing teenage pregnancies and improving reproductive health outcomes in the province.
“What is particularly worrying in Matabeleland South is the teenage pregnancy rate, which stands at 27 percent, significantly higher than the national average of 23 percent. This suggests that many young people are becoming sexually active at an early age and, in many cases, without adequate protection, exposing them to a range of challenges, including school dropouts, STIs and HIV,” said Mr Gumbi.
“Low male involvement is also worrisome because when we are talking about family planning, we are referring to a family unit that needs a man and a woman. We have limited or very low male involvement, which has at times resulted in issues of intimate partner violence, which is one of the ills we are trying to curb as a province.”
Mr Gumbi said the province has, however, recorded notable progress in the uptake of family planning services over the years, a development he attributed to growing awareness and the increasing empowerment of women to make informed decisions about their reproductive health and family planning needs.
He said efforts to improve male involvement in family planning include partnerships with various organisations that engage men. Mr Gumbi added that the organisation is also working with male family planning champions who help disseminate information and promote behaviour change.
“We have 190,000 women of childbearing age in the province. Out of those, about 118,000 are on a modern method of contraception, which translates to about 60 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49. The family planning landscape of Matabeleland South is mainly skewed towards the short-acting methods such as the pill, Depo Provera and Sayana Press.
“That means 40 percent of women in the reproductive age group are using natural methods of family planning. The challenge is that these haven’t been scientifically proven and their success rates are not known.
“Some may be trying for a child, but we are mostly worried about women of childbearing age who are unable to get a method of family planning of their choice,” he said.
Mr Gumbi said they have up-scaled programmes to sensitise communities on family planning issues.
He said several challenges limit the utilisation of family planning services, such as stigma and misconceptions caused by limited information on options of family planning, be it pills, injectables, or implants.
Mr Gumbi said gender imbalance is also an issue because in most cases, women in a marital setup have to seek permission from their male counterparts to use any method of family planning. He said some of the male spouses might have a negative attitude towards family planning.
Matabeleland South Provincial medical director, Dr Andrew Muza, said the Ministry of Health and Child Care has strengthened maternal healthcare services and expanded access to reproductive health interventions across the province. He said notable progress has been made in improving healthcare delivery and managing pregnancy-related complications.
“As a province, we have made significant progress in improving access to care. This is one of the key pillars of service delivery and includes strengthening health infrastructure. We have upgraded our theatres to cater for pregnant women and trained healthcare personnel to manage complications during pregnancy, including cases involving teenagers,” he said.
