India has achieved many milestones in adolescent health: Manoj Jhalani, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, NHM

Jhalani was speaking at the plenary session on the first day of the 11th World Congress on Adolescent Health

“It is easier and cost-effective to bring in healthy behaviours early, rather than changing adolescents at a later stage and spending more on healthcare costs,” Manoj Jhalani, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM) said.

Speaking at a plenary session on the first day of the 11th World Congress on Adolescent Health in New Delhi on ‘Investing in Adolescent Health—the Future is Now,’ Jhalani said from the one-day orientation programme for teachers at district levels under the 8th Five-Year-Plan in 1992-1997, to the ambitious Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) which is being implemented currently, India has achieved many milestones in adolescent health.

Jhalani said the RKSK was launched in 2014 to address the health and development needs of the adolescents in India.

RKSK is based on continuum of care for adolescent health and development needs through the three-tier public health system with a multi-component intervention targeting both determinants of health problems and their consequences. The programme adopts a facility-based approach, school-based approach and community-based approach for expected outcomes by including immunisation and iron-folic acid tablets programmes to improve health and deal with anaemia, Jhalani said.

However, nutritional deficiencies and injuries, including self-harm are emerging as major challenges, as are mental and substance abuse.

Pointing out that investing in adolescent health would pay dividends, Dr Sunil Mehra, Executive Director, MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, said there is a need to enhance core competencies in health care functionaries to deliver on adolescent health (both in clinical and public health) in addition to increased financial and human resource allocation to adolescent health.

“We need age (and sex) disaggregated data and rigorous and transparent evaluations of our adolescent programmes. It is important to intervene early and continue with age-specific programming and importantly time to question ourselves that “are we reaching high-risk adolescents through our existing programming,” Dr Mehra said.

A panel discussion on, ‘The Missing Link: Fostering Resilience in Adolescent Girls for Improved Health, Education, and Gender Equity’ was organised by Corstone, which was about a unique evidence-based intervention for young adolescents.

The Third report of the Lancet Commission on Child & Adolescent Health was also released at the Congress.