Government nod for Adolescent Health Programme

KOCHI: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has given the nod to the Adolescent Health Programme proposed by the Centre for Child Development. The programme will cover a total of 10 lakh girl children from the BPL families in the state.It will be undertaken by the Centre for Child Development, Thiruvananthapuram, in association with the Integrated Child Development Programme and the National Rural Health Mission. Under the programme, district level camps will be held across the state. A total of 20,000 Anganwadi workers will select adolescent girls from the BPL families."Each Anganwadi worker will identify a minimum of 10 children for the programme. The girls will then be asked to fill the forms with questions on mental and reproductive health as well as on nutrition and learning skills. They will then have an opportunity to consult a doctor individually. Here they can discuss their problems. Their problems will then be followed up through the staff stationed in the area. Each child will also be given an adolescent health card which will have the details of their health," Centre for Development Studies director M K G Nair said.The Child Development Centre will train people, the ICDS staff and the NHRM staff for the implementation of the programme. "We intend to make full use of the already existing human resource at the ground level.This will include Anganwadi workers, ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists), Child Development Project Officers and so on." M K G Nair said.This is a piloting initiative towards adolescent health care. "Once we implement the programme, we will submit the details to the Planning Commission at the Centre. According to the reports, a similar scheme will be launched at the national level in the next fiveyear plan," he said. The fiveyear programme, which will begin in August, 2011, will cover a total of two lakh children in the first year.