Call made to address ‘unacceptable’ teenage pregnancy rate

Dec 02, 2018 News

The Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation [PAHO/WHO] on Friday handed over the Situational Analysis [SITAN] of Adolescent Health in Guyana and simultaneously voiced a call to reduce its “unacceptable” pregnancy rate.
This development was communicated by Dr. William Adu-Krow, PAHO/WHO local representative.
“Preliminary figures for 2017 show almost a quarter [24 per cent] of all local pregnancies were among adolescents,” said Dr. Travis Freeman, Adolescent Health Coordinator of the Ministry of Public Health.

PAHO/WHO’s Dr. William Adu-Krow.

Dr. Freeman said of the 24 per cent of pregnant adolescents, “only one per cent was under 15 years old.” This pregnancy rate among the under 15 grouping is holding steady since 2011.
Persons 10 – 19 years old are defined as adolescents, according to global definition. Adolescents and youths, 10 – 24 years old comprise 33 percent of the Guyanese population.
During Friday’s handing over ceremony, Dr. Adu-Krow challenged the Ministry to operationalise the strategies under a two-year plan.
“It is time to end talk about adolescents. It’s time to do something,” said Dr. Adu Krow. He said other international agencies such as the United Nations Children’s Fund [UNICEF] and the United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] will help the country “move ahead” with its blueprint for adolescents.
“Please come up with a dissemination plan with participation from health sector workers in the [10 Administrative] Regions,” Dr Adu-Krow urged.
The strategic plan, ‘Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents [AA-HA!] is part of the mandate of the National Health Plan designed to respond to national priorities in the health and wellbeing of youths, using “evidence-based data from national baseline surveys, peer-education activities and youth participation,” the document said.
It reminds that the Ministry pioneered a specific programme targeting health issues among Guyanese adolescents and youths with the establishments of ‘The Adolescent and Young Adult Health and Wellness Unit’ to address development needs of young people.
“A Strategic Plan with a vision for the health, well-being and overall development of adolescents and young adults in Guyana, guided the work of this Unit,” the document said.
Dr. Karen Cummings, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, who accepted the document on the government’s behalf, promised that the evidence contained in the 72-page volume “will help [our] policy making.”
In the document, existing gaps have been highlighted which policy measures “will plug”, Dr. Cummings said.
The gaps include inadequate financial, human, material and other resources; data collection shortcomings; a shortage in the appropriate mix of skills in the health and education sectors to respond to the needs of the adolescents in the communities countrywide and sustainability of interventions.
The SITAN of the local adolescent sector also highlighted insufficient inter and intra-collaboration of ministries and programmes and also calls for strengthening of policies and legislation to govern the operation of the ministries regarding services needed within the sector, as well as special programmes for those with disabilities and chronic conditions.
Among its raft of recommendations, the joint PAHO/WHO and Ministry document suggests the need for the establishment of a multi-sectoral national coordinating body to implement and monitor the strategies for adolescents. Similar bodies should also be formed in the Regions which will allow “more community and young people involvement.”
It wants further narrowing of the gap between the coast and the hinterland for access to universal health coverage and resourcing and supporting of youth groups and sports organisations which will help “strengthen their advocacy and intervention on adolescent issues”.
It calls too for a better data-collection environment “to ensure that appropriate disaggregated data relevant for adolescent health can be obtained including: age, gender, income level, urban versus rural regions and communities.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News