Government launches plan to improve access to healthcare for adolescents

Government has officially launched the Adolescence Health Strategic Plan for the period between 2022 to 2026, and National Community Strategy of 2022 to 2026.

The two documents will seek to increase the number of health facilities with functional adolescent friendly spaces from 964 to 1,550 by 2026.

This is according to Health Minister, Sylvia Masebo, in Lusaka on Thursday.

Masebo said access to basic health services including adolescent health friendly services should be a human right in Zambia.

She said the approach is enshrined in the UPND manifesto whose guiding principle is a people-centered, pro-poor development strategy that guarantees the availability of basic needs for citizens.

“The Two strategies will also seek to strengthen the health system to be responsive to the health needs of adolescents including those with special needs and disabilities,” Masebo said.

She said the strategies will also strengthen availability and use of strategic information to guide adolescent health programme design and implementation.

Masebo said to achieve this, the Department of Public Health and Research, through the Community and Adolescent Health Units must rise to the occasion and ensure that basic community and adolescent health services reach the intended beneficiaries

“Let me also take this opportunity to remind everyone that the documents being launched today speak to the recently launched Eighth National Developed Plan, which is the principal document guiding Zambia’s development agenda,” She said.

Masebo said the eighth national development plan also prioritizes community health and primary health care as vehicles for achieving universal health coverage in Zambia.

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