Bengal Health Department Preparing SOP For Cases Of Under-18 Girls Becoming Pregnant

(MENAFN- IANS) Kolkata, Sep 10 (IANS) The West Bengal Health Department is preparing a standard operating procedure (SOP) on how to handle cases of girls below the age of 18, even if married, becoming pregnant.

The initiative in the matter follows an announcement by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari earlier this week that henceforth husbands of girls who become mothers before attaining the age of 18 will be prosecuted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, with the state government initiating suo motu cases against them.

A Health Department official said that a nine-member expert committee has already been constituted, which will frame the SOP in the matter.

The expert committee includes Debashis Das, head of the Community Medicine Department of the Calcutta Medical College & Hospital, five obstetricians and gynaecologists -- Dr Sanjay Bhattacharya of Uluberia Medical College & Hospital, Dr Saurabh Chatterjee of NRS Medical College & Hospital, Dr Tulika Jha of Raiganj Medical College & Hospital, Dr Shelly Seth of Rampurhat Medical & Hospital, and Dr Bhaskar Pal of Apollo Hospital.

The committee also includes Health Department representatives - Deputy Director for Maternal Health, Shyamoli Rudra, Family Planning Officer, Shaswati Nag, and East Medinipur district Public Health & Nursing Officer, Seema Maiti.

The first meeting of the committee will be on September 18.

According to Health Minister Dr Saradwat Mukhopadhyay, who is himself a medical practitioner, the incidence of pregnancy among girls before the age of 18 is very high in West Bengal.

"If a minor girl gets pregnant before the age of 18, there is a high possibility that the minor girl might die during pregnancy. Hence, there is a necessity to have an SOP on how such cases will be handled," he said.

It is learnt that the proposed SOP will include details of crucial issues such as identification of maternal risks, regular antenatal check-ups, management of anaemia and malnutrition, referral to higher medical centres if necessary, safe delivery and post-delivery monitoring of mother and child.

"The new SOP will specify taking the adolescent to a gynaecologist and obstetrician as soon as possible after confirming pregnancy and bringing them under the ambit of antenatal care," the Health Department official said.

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