Pretoria- Health Minister Dr. Joe Phaahla has congratulated mothers of 1 703 babies born on the first day of the year 2024 in public health facilities across the country.
Dr. Phaahla also urged fathers and family members to support mothers in raising children.
The first 2024 bundles of joy were born at midnight in health facilities in Limpopo at Philadelphia Hospital and Seshego Hospital), Western Cape at Mowbray Maternity Hospital) and North West at Mafikeng Provincial Hospital respectively.
The country has also recorded at least 190 teenage mothers on New Year’s Day as compared to slightly over 145 recorded on Christmas Day.
The youngest mothers were 14-year-olds from KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape provinces.
The Department of Health said teen pregnancy was a societal problem that requires all hands on deck.
Some teenage mothers were likely to face critical social issues like poverty and poor education outcomes with the potential to contribute to poor health issues and child welfare.
The department said in collaboration with sister departments such as social development, basic education and other stakeholders including higher health, Love Life, and Soul City will intensify sexual and reproductive health awareness campaigns countrywide.
The campaigns will target both school-going and out-of-school youth to empower them with health education and the dangers of early sexual debut, unprotected sex, and other risky sexual behaviours apart from teenage pregnancy.
- Gauteng recorded 412 babies,
- Limpopo 199,
- Mpumalanga 156,
- North West 112,
- Free State, 68,
- KwaZulu-Natal 260
- Western Cape 253
- Eastern Cape: 200 babies
- Northern Cape: 43
