Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, has bemoaned the relatively low usage of contraceptives among young people aged between 15 and 19 years, which he estimated at a low 24 per cent. Speaking during the commemoration of World Population Day and the launch of the state of the world population report 2022 Shangula said pregnancy and childbirth-related complications are the number one killers of girls aged 15 to 19 in developing countries, stressing that “access to information and contraceptives can therefore protect young people’s lives”. For their part, government and stakeholders, he noted, will continue to invest in research to better understand the causes and consequences of unintended pregnancies and to spearhead contraceptive technologies that reduce side effects.
