Statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that more than 1.1 million adolescents aged 10-19 years died in 2016 and over 3000 die every day, mostly from preventable or treatable causes.
To curb the loss of the potentials and resources these adolescents possess, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is developing an intervention dubbed the Y Check which seeks to develop a framework for adolescents’ routine regular health checkup.
Although most adolescents are healthy, there is still substantial premature death due to illness and injury which can hinder their ability to grow and develop to their full potential.
The Y Check Key Informants Workshop held on Monday sought to discuss findings of a study conducted in the Cape Coast Metropolis on adolescents’ health and the road map to having a routine health check-up for adolescents.
Participants of the workshop also assessed the particular ages that will be most appropriate for the implementation of this intervention and also the content of the intervention development in terms of the various health areas that should be emphasized.
Though Phase one of the key findings revealed several existing favourable policies, there is a lack of awareness and data on adolescents’ health in the metropolis. It also added that adolescents’ topmost health concerns are on eyesight, anaemia, sexual health, growth and nutrition.
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Speaking in an interview with ATLFMNews, Dr Franklin Glozah, Co-Investigator on the Y Check Project and with the University of Ghana School of Public Health said the key informants have come up with recommendations that will be implemented within the metropolis and also used for developing the final intervention.
To receive maximum participation of the Y Check, they also resolved to institutionalize the routine check-up.
Dr Glozah mentioned they realized issues regarding anaemia, sexual and reproductive health came up very strongly as areas that need to be concentrated on when it comes to instituting routine health checkups for adolescents between the ages on ten and nineteen.
He further added that the project when fully developed will be recommended to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to help member states in developing clear cut plans that will enhance adolescent checkups in their countries.
“This same project is happening at the same time in Tanzania and Zimbabwe so at the end our recommendations will be used by the WHO to develop guidelines when it comes to routine adolescent health checkups. I can foresee in a couple of years, next three years we would have developed this intervention for the WHO to recommend to member states in terms of what needs to be done for routine adolescent health checkups”
Even though the initiative has not been implemented, Dr Eric Kokah, a team member of Y Check has urged parents and adolescents to constantly go for checkups.
“Parents should encourage them to go checkups even when they are not sick or when they are not ill, the best way is to go for routine health check-up and know what is wrong with you. I know the cost involved is what actually at times doesn’t encourage them to go for check up but it’s good for all of us.”
The first phase of the WHO supported project ends in July 2020. The second phase which will start in July 2021 will last three years. It will consider the cost involved in the intervention and an evaluation of the cost.
Source: Victoria Enyonam Adonu / ATL FM News
