“Today’s young children are our future, and our future depends on them.” This was stated by Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog while delivering the keynote address in Townhall session at the ‘Health of Youth – Wealth of Nation’, a G20 co-branded event organized by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) here today.
Accentuating the influence of internet in daily life, Dr. Paul cautioned that “Internet is a necessity. It has changed lives, some in a positive way, however like most other things, it comes with a baggage.” Emphasizing on the dangers of AI influence on personal lives, he stated “Time has come that again that parents, school, media we talk about the rightful and excessive use of internet. The education, moderation, the rules should be a way forward for the families and the society at large. However, artificial intelligence can also become dangerous in its influence and students must have access to counselling, treatment and help as required.” Dr. Paul stressed that “we have to think about a collective response on how to handle the technology which is posing challenges that we have never seen before.” Elaborating further, Dr. Paul stated “At societal level we need to make healthy eating, talking about issues like sexual, reproductive health, mental health the norm.” He also emphasized on a neglected area in health care, the importance of sleep and its impact on health.
He further added “Ministry of Health and Niti Aayog are working together to review, refine and upgrade care of adolescents. This age group is very critical for all nations, much more so for India because for the next twenty-five years, we have set the goals for developed nation.” Dr. Paul noted that “Converging services, counselling and wellness in schools is of utmost importance.” He invited the youth representatives for their inputs in designing a school health program that fits in the needs of the students today and incorporates elements in enhancing their well-being.
The townhall session underscored the challenges facing the youth that directly impact their health such as mental health, menstrual hygiene, cyber bulling. Youth representatives from India and abroad brought to fore stories and experiences detailing these challenges and deliberated on possible solutions to ease these difficulties across regions. The speakers concurred that stigma surrounding these issues highly restricts progress and awareness and resources must be dispersed to achieve a breakthrough. “Worldwide victims speak the language of silence, but conversations in forums such as these is how stigma can be broken.” Youth representatives also shared some success stories wherein new products were made from waste; counselling services that led to greater awareness on hygiene for girls regarding mensuration. However, these stories also underscored a need for concerted efforts from all stakeholders for achieving far greater impact. Yatan Balhara, Professor, AIIMS, Githinji Gitahi, CEO, AMREF Africa, Amy Ucello, Senior Adolescent and Youth Technical Expert, USAID, Andrea Wojnar, Country Representative, UNFPA India, Ann Starrs, Director of Family Planning, BMGF facilitated discussions for this session.
Two panel discussions were also held. Centre staging health & well-being of adolescents and young people being the first session saw eminent health experts delving into facets of health. Dr Kapil Yadav, AIIMS highlighted the importance of eating healthy food, referring to Eat Right campaign run by the central government. He reiterated that “adolescence is the prime age for inculcating good eating habits which lay the foundation for lasting good health.”
Dr. Flavia Bustreo, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) Board Member appreciated the political commitment India demonstrates in bringing this issue to light in conjunction with its G20 Presidency and stressed that the “demographic dividend cannot be fully realized without ensuring good health of the youth who are the future of the nation”. Elucidating that health encompasses a wide array of issues and challenges for youth, she called for intersectoral collaboration as well as leveraging the India’s G20 Presidency as a forum to bring forth sustainable solutions for strengthening resources and capacities for the youth.
Dr. Pratima Murthy Director, NIMHANS alluded to stigma attached with mental health challenges which act as a barrier for patient in seeking timely medical care. Discussions centered on best practices that can adapted for creating wider acceptance in the society and fostering an enabling environment to access the requisite resources. Dr. Hemlata, Sylvia Wong, Program Head UNFPA, Gareth Jones, Youth Representative Meshwa Parmar, Peer Educator (India) and Shitanshu Dhakal Youth Advocate, Nepal, were present on the dais for this session.
Multi-sectoral partnerships for engagement of adolescents and young people for health and well-being was the second session that explored various thought-provoking aspects such as the intersection and confluence of different sectors on adolescent underscoring that well -being of adolescents extends beyond the health sector hence a multilateral approach is imperative. Stakeholders from range of sectors such as academia, private sector, community and many more came forth to deliberate and engage with the audience on the importance of imbibing inputs from different sectors and build programs to ensure a comprehensive outlook. It was noted that inclusion of institutions contributes extensively in delivering resources and communication to the last-mile as well as conveying grassroot perceptions to the central stakeholders. Anurita Bains, Associate Dir. Health/Director HIV UNICEF, Dr. Aparajita Gogoi, Executive Director, C3, Dr. Jaydeep Tank, President Elect, FOGSI, Merette Khalil, White Ribbon Alliance, Dr. Shalini Bharat, Director, TISS, Stephen Omollo, engaged in active discussions on the dais for this session.
Shri Ashok Babu, Joint Secretary brought the event to a close, thanking the eminent speakers participants and audience. Lauding the discussions and valuable insights garnered, he emphasized that these deliberations underscored significant perceptions for policy developments and growth of the nation.
Senior officials from the Health Ministry, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, forums and officials from partner agencies like Gates Foundation, UNFPA, USAID, WHO, UNICEF and youth icons from G-20 nations were also present on the occasion.