The
Government has developed a National Adolescent Health Strategy in consultation
with UNFPA.
Details are given below:
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Total
25.3 crore adolescents aged 10–19 years, constituting about 21% of India’s
population will be covered under this strategy.
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The
strategy will address in-school and out-of-school, rural and urban, married and
unmarried adolescents.
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Seven
critical components (7Cs) of the strategy are coverage, content, communities,
clinics (health facilities), counselling, communication and convergence.
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Under
this strategy, the scope of Adolescent Health programmes has been expanded to
include nutrition, injuries and violence (including gender based violence),
non-communicable diseases, mental health and substance misuse along with the
existing reproductive and sexual health.
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Community
based institutions, platforms and service providers like schools, educational
and training institutions, Anganwadi centres, dedicated Adolescent Health Day,
Kishori Diwas, Peer Educators, ASHA, ANM, AWW will be used to provide services,
information and commodities to adolescents and engage with their parents
/caregivers.
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Adolescent
Friendly Health Clinics (AFHCs) providing services, commodities and counselling
within the existing health systems will be strengthened.
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A
strong communication strategy aimed not only for the adolescent but also for
their caregiver on all the six thematic programme areas is being prepared.
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The
strategy envisages intra-departmental / inter-ministerial convergence and
partnerships with Civil Society, Institutions and Private Sector.
The Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare has launched the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthaya Karyakaram
(RKSK) on the 7th of January 2014 – converting the National
Adolescent Health Strategy into a National programme.
RKSK is based
on health promotion and prevention approach leading to holistic development.
Key drivers of the program are community based interventions like peer
educators, outreach activities by counsellors, involvement of parents and the
community through a dedicated adolescent health day; communication for
information and behaviour change i.e. Social and Behaviour Change
Communication.
These
strategies and platforms have been devised to reach out to adolescents in their
own spaces, recognising the importance of encouraging positive behaviours and
supporting adolescents in making a healthy transition to adulthood.
Community based
interventions are linked to Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics across levels of
care creating continuum of care.
The Health
Minister stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.
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MV/BK/LK