January 12, 2002

    The Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. C.P. Thakur, said that large hospitals should offer multi-disciplinary approach to address the needs of the adolescents. Inaugurating a Conference on Adolescent Health here today, he said that specially designed clinical services giving adequate attention to issues like privacy, particularly of importance to adolescents should be devised. This would not require much additional resources. What was required was sensitivity towards the issue and reorganisation of clinical services in health facilities. Such a clinic was started in Safdarjung Hospital. This pilot study, which would be carried out for two years, would demonstrate the feasibility of such an approach, he added.

    The conference was organised by the Department of Paediatrics, Hindu Rao Hospital, Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

    Dr. Thakur said that the Government would organise adolescent health camps at regular intervals in remote and far flung areas. These camps would provide not only basic reproductive health services but also counseling, nutritional advice, rehabilitative services and elements like life skills developments, vocational guidance. Services of NGOs would also be enlisted for the programme, he added.