The Ghana Health Service in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service has inaugurated Adolescent Health Clubs in selected schools in the Upper East region with a call on parents to embrace sex education for adolescents.
In a presentation on adolescent health at the inauguration ceremony in Bolgatanga Friday, Upper East Regional Deputy Director in charge of clinical care of the Ghana Health Service Dr. Abdul-Razak Dokurugu noted there are challenges that hinder the success of adolescent health programs with some of them including society’s reluctance to discuss issues on Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health dispassionately, cultural practices and social norms, inadequate funds for scale-up and negative attitudes among adults towards youth who are sexually active.
He admonished parents to seek information on adolescent health in order for them to educate their children appropriately on the issues.
The program themed “Promoting and Sustaining Adolescents Health ( Healthy Young People, Better Future): Role of the Community” aims at improving access to appropriate health information by adolescents and young people, improving access and utilization of quality health services by adolescents and young people, enhancing socio-cultural and legal environment for the health of adolescents and improving community participation in adolescent and young people health program implementation to increase the demand and utilization of services.
Dr. Razak revealed in a report that adolescent girls account for more than 10% of all births worldwide with a quarter of all unsafe abortions performed on adolescents. The report added that approximately 5 million abortions are performed on adolescents aged 15-19 while more than 2 million adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years are living with HIV. Meanwhile about 41% of new annual HIV infections are occurring in adolescents.
The regional population officer of the population council, Alobisah Azam called on the Ghana Health Service to partner with all relevant stakeholders and leverage on their unique strengths to reach the adolescent with all the needed support for negotiating this part of the life course smoothly.
According to him, the Adolescent Health Program was conceptualized in 1996 by the Ministry of Health with the vision of nation having a well-informed adolescent adopting healthy lifestyle physically and psychologically and supported by a responsive health system.
The Adolescent Health and Development Program in December 2014 launched the National Adolescent Health and Club initiative at Accra Academy Senior High School in collaboration with the National School Health Education Programme of the Ghana Education Service and so far forty-two SHS can boast of the club in their schools within the country.
“Currently, with support from Afrikids Ghana, there are 16 clubs in our second cycle institutions and 234 clubs in the Junior High Schools of the region,” he said.
The schools included Zamse Senior High Technical School, Kongo Senior High School, Tongo Senior High Technical School and Bolgatanga Senior High School.
Some of the students who spoke in an exclusive interview with A1 News said they feel shy to discuss adolescent issues with their parents especially challenges they are faced with as adolescents. They however expressed satisfaction about the program and promised to spread what they learned among their colleagues while advising their peers to stay away from pre-marital sex in order to achieve their educational goals in life and stay away from sexually transmitted diseases.
By: Adugbire Cletus | A1RADIOONLINE.com | GHANA
