An Adolescent Health Strategic Plan Being Finalized
An Adolescent Health Strategic Plan is being finalized. The plan marks a crucial step of an expanded and holistic focus by the government on the issues affecting adolescents in the country. The plan will focus on three areas: education, health, and human development. Officials from three line ministries conducted a three-day session which culminated today in Belize City. News Five’s Hipolito Novelo reports.
Hipolito Novelo, Reporting
From a global perspective, adolescents – persons typically between the ages of thirteen and nineteen- represent a significant demographic and socio-economic force. In Belize, the estimated population of adolescents is eighty-eight thousand- making this group capable of influencing trends in various areas such as health and education. For the past year, officials from the Ministries of Health, Education and Human Development have been working on the Adolescent Health Strategic Plan with the aim to offer adolescents an affordable and a more structured package that would influence their growth and development.
Natalia Largaespada Beer
Dr. Natalia Largaespada Beer, Maternal & Child Health Adviser, MOH
“The mission is for us to work with a strong partnership like wrap-around services for adolescence providing the protection that they need to grow and developed and reach their full potential. The plan is focusing on ensuring that adolescence have their identity document like having a social security card that would help us track the services provided to them. We are aiming at improving the access to education. We are looking toward improving the quality of the health services, expansion of coverage, working from the community with the community in all aspects.”
Considered a special stage in any person’s life, adolescence represents a period of transformation from childhood into adulthood. It is during this period that young people go through significant changes in areas such as biology and behavioral. If these changes are not properly managed, it can lead to risky behaviors with immediate and long term consequences.
Carlos del Castillo
Carlos del Castillo, Director, Bases Sólidas
“We are trying to understand that there are many dimensions that affect and that are part of their development so we are trying to approach the very centered on the individual as the comprehensive development which means we must include all sectors that are involved as part of the development of the strategic plan. The biggest preoccupation that I would feel that is in the discussion maybe violence for the adolescence have been involved lately, which is a problem that the government is very sensitive to tackle. Also sexual reproduction rights. I guess a healthy lifestyle as well, but we have also been tackling other issues relating to access to education, participation, environment where adolescents have access to creative expression. How they use music, art? And how to express themselves and be an active part of society.”
The Adolescent Health Strategic Plan is designed for the next five years but will be extended to 2030 in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and the Children Agenda. Over the past years, officials held consultations with youths in all districts in order to get their views.
Dr. Natalia Largaespada Beer
“Right now what we are looking at for the first five years is more looking into input and looking at the competences at the different categories of staff require to provide better quality services, looking at standard and norms that need to be in all the different areas where adolescence will have contact with providers. Basically, those would be one of the main areas that we will be focusing on the first five years and then, later on, we will cover the other areas that we are proposing in the plan.”
The initiative is being funded by the Government of Belize and UNICEF. Hipolito Novelo, News Five.
