Clinic established at Bog Walk for pregnant teens

The prevalence of teenage pregnancy in and around Linstead, St. Catherine, has promoted health authorities to establish a clinic for pregnant teenagers at Bog Walk in the parish, said Dr. Francia Prosper-Chen, Medical Officer of Health for St. Catherine.

“In Linstead, when we look at the 2019 numbers, about 0.7 percent of new pregnancies were in the 10 to 15 age group, and 17 percent in the 16 to 19 age group,” she said.

“We have high-risk clinics and recently at Bog Walk we started a teen clinic for pregnant teenagers between 16 to 19 years of age.”

Dr. Prosper-Chen noted that the Linstead area is not the only one locally grappling with the issue of teenage pregnancy.

“We have a high rate of teenage pregnancy in Jamaica, 72 per 1000 girls 15 to 18 years of age. Jamaica has one of the highest rates globally and we rank fourth in the Caribbean.”

Dr Prosper-Chen was speaking on February 20 during a community meeting hosted by the South East Regional Health Authority at St. Helen’s Roman Catholic Church Hall in Linstead, St. Catherine.

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