Limpho Sello
THE Ministry of Health has embarked on a week-long in-service training programme aimed at ensuring the provision of youth-friendly services at health centres in the country.
The training was recently conducted in Mokhotlong to capacitate health personnel to provide patient-friendly health services to young people including the clinical management of victims of sexual abuse.
The Adolescents Health Programme Officer in the Ministry of Health, Mathato Nkuatsane told the Sunday Express that the training was meant to capacitate nurses to warmly welcome adolescents when they visited clinics to seek health services.
“The objective is to scale up services to accommodate young people in the health facilities especially those people who are victims of sexual harassment or those who just come with related sexual reproductive health challenges,” Ms Nkuatsane said on Friday.
“After the training, we will be able to ensure the survival of sexual abuse where the victims will also be educated on what they need to do when they are abused.
“We will also assist the community to know how to report so that they can come to the health facilities for medical attention,” Ms Nkuatsane said.
Ms Nkuatsane said the ministry had also embarked on the programme to scale up the provision of health services to young people as part of efforts to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
She however, said the youth had a right to health services regardless of the situation.
Apart from the nurses, the ministry would also train youths on comprehensive sexual education.