Terengganu Opens Their First Shelter For Pregnant Teens
The 'Rumah Generasiku Sayang' (RGKS) is now opened in three states in Malaysia.
By Andrea Tang — 29 Oct 2018, 12:04 PM
The Terengganu Health Department (JKNT) opened the state's first 'Rumah Generasiku Sayang' (RGKS) to house teenagers who are pregnant and unmarried yesterday, 28 October
“This programme is a safe motherhood initiative by the Health Ministry to help pregnant teenagers to get antenatal, postnatal, and psychosocial treatment as well as spiritual guidance and to avoid illegal abortion,” director Dr Mohd Jusoh said, as reported by Bernama.
According to Sinar Harian, he added that the home, called Raudhatul Nisaa, is also a platform for the girls to boost their self-esteem and encourage economic development in preparation for their return to the community.
The home, located in Bukit Payong, will be able to house a maximum of eight teenagers
The home will be managed by the state's health department staff as well as volunteers.
The Persatuan Kebajikan Generasiku Sayang (PKGKST) has also been set up to assist in managing the home.
The RGKS was first introduced in Johor in 2014, followed by a second one in Kelantan two years later
Moreover, Dr Mohd Jusoh strongly advises to never resort to actions such as purchasing abortion pills online as it might put the mother's life at risk, Astro Awani reports.
"If there is a problem, mothers can actually go to Klinik Kesihatan (KK) under the Klinik Mesra Remaja (KMR) program that has been started in KK Mercang and KK Kuala Besut," he added.
Additionally, the home is also opened to teenagers from other states who are seeking for help
The Malaysian Insight reports that in a year, an average of 4,000 teenagers get pregnant out of wedlock.
The Deputy Women Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh said that there were over 79,000 cases of underage pregnancies between 2012 and 2016, adding that the country recorded around 911 cases of baby dumping from 2010 to August 2018.