South Africa: ABC HEALTH CARE FOR ADOLECENTS
Date: June 26, 2019
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Children are not always willing to attend medical assistance at the health facilities, due to discrimination and stigmatization. This result in teenagers being sexual active without the necessary treatment, and or services available that result in a high amount of teenage pregnancies and the increase of HIV/AIDS. Due to the situation above, this result in defaulting in terms of not only contraception but also ARV treatment.
Key Actions
Physical examination of the boy child or girl child.
Provide contraception options, and treatment plans
Maternal assistance
Mobilization and support with male medical circumcisions
ARV offsite, (counselling, treatment and referrals)
Education and Counselling on STI, abortion and adoption options.
Partners
Department of Health, NGO, Mossel Bay Municipality, Department of Social Development, MLAC, Department of Education
Strategies
Stakeholder engagement to get buy in of schools via the school principles. Word of Mouth, Marketing Strategy at schools and organisations. Referral system, Counselling services, booking system
Challenges Â
To get access to the scholars during school time (intervals – library) – The learners are ashamed to come to the mobile because of the fear that fellow students will see that they are using the services. To address the challenge, the schools were contacted to make use of the library during intervals, as a neutral ground. The community sites – to be reachable after school in privacy.
Immediate results and next steps
Adolescents take responsible for their own health and make use of services on the site that is best for their needs (school, health services, and community centre).
Decrease of teenage pregnancies from 14% to 10%.
Decrease in STI infections.
Decrease in HIV/AIDS infections.
Decrease in Statutory Rape Cases
Through renewal of venues, agreements and funding.
Currently two of the seven high schools is part of the program; we need to get the buy in of the other five.
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Long term Impact
To be able to reach the targets as set out in the National Strategic Plan 2017-2022.
Learning and Application
Even if services is set available the onus lays with the adolescent to be part of a transformation process of taking responsibility for your own health choices.
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