The president of the Dominican Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Dr. Milton Cordero said that at any given time 29% of those pregnant in the DR are of age 10-19 years. He urged that more facilities to attend the special needs of teenagers be built. He said that only San Lorenzo de los Mina, La Altagracia and the Santiago Hospital Jose Maria Cabral and Baez have programs for the care of pregnant teenagers. He estimated that teenage mortality in some provinces in the south reaches 35%.
Cordero spoke at the III Jornada Cientifica Doctor Juan Manuel Taveras Rodriguez organized by the Centro de Diagnostico, Medicina Avanzada y Telemedicina (CEDIMAT) at the governmental Plaza de la Salud. Experts came from Venezuela and Puerto Rico to discuss women’s health issues.
Dr. Eleazar Santana, a physician at CEDIMAT, spoke of how at lower education levels, teenage pregnancy rates are higher, as is the mortality rate. The physicians say there is lots of ignorance among the teenagers regarding getting pregnant. They also mentioned that there is a large number of teenagers that are victims of sex abuse and rape by adults.