Rajasthan: State health and WCD ministers pledge to improve adolescent health

Rajasthan State Health Minister, Dr Raghu Sharma and Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Mamta Bhupesh on Tuesday signed a pledge to make strong commitments towards improving the health and overall well-being of adolescents.

Rajasthan has youth and adolescent population of 32 percent of the total but adolescents in the state have been facing health and other challenges that can adversely impact their health due to the regressive culture and especially for girls, due to prevalent patriarchal society.

As per National Family Health Survey (NFHS) (2015-16), over 35 percent girls in Rajasthan are married before the age of 18. The 2018 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) survey stated that 20 percent of girls drop out of school due of multiple reasons, including early marriage and childbearing, informed the release.

“Adolescents and youth are our greatest asset and we are committed to investing in their health and holistic development for a just, inclusive and prosperous Rajasthan,” the pledge stated.

The document added that in policymaking and in the ideation of development programmes the adolescents will be made stakeholders by their inclusion in discussions for decisions that will impact their lives and overall well-being.

According to the release, representatives of the national-level Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Population Foundation of India, the architects of the campaign were present at the time of signing.of the document.

Divya Santhanam, Senior State Program Manager, Population Foundation of India said, “As a grassroots organisation, we have discovered that when governments use their resources well and synergize with civil society organisations, change happens more rapidly and at a much larger scale. The renewed commitment by the Ministers of Health and WCD will play a very important role in ensuring adolescent health is a priority in Rajasthan.”

“The signing of this pledge demonstrates the state government's commitment to advancing adolescent and youth health with concrete steps and empowering policies so that they can grow up to be productive, healthy, and happy citizens of the country. This is all the more relevant in the present pandemic as Covid-19 has highlighted the need for investing in our adolescents and youth for healthier and more resilient communities,” added Santhanam.

The Rajasthan state government has been active in launching health campaigns like Nirogi Rajasthan, Zero Teenage Pregnancy and establishment of Model Community Health Centers (CHCs) in all 200 constituencies and inclusion of Adolescent Friendly Health Centers (AFHCs) in these Model CHCs for ensuring health facilities for adolescents.