The Anambra State Government has established adolescent-friendly services in six primary healthcare centres, translating Nigeria’s national policy on youth-friendly healthcare into services at the facility level.
The intervention is implemented by the Anambra State Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA) and Jhpiego.
It focuses on making primary healthcare services more accessible, confidential and responsive to adolescents, particularly in sexual and reproductive health.
Nigeria’s national guidelines call for adolescent and youth-friendly services to be integrated into primary healthcare facilities, with a package covering health information, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, HIV and sexually transmitted infections, violence prevention, referrals and recreational activities.
The six beneficiary facilities are Aguata Primary Healthcare Centre and Oye Achina Primary Healthcare Centre in Aguata Local Government Area; Odekpe Primary Healthcare Centre and Okpoko 2 Primary Healthcare Centre in Ogbaru Local Government Area; and Oba 1 Primary Healthcare Centre and Alor Primary Healthcare Centre in Idemili South Local Government Area.
The facilities provide adolescents with a private and welcoming environment to access healthcare and discuss sexual and reproductive health, psychosocial and developmental concerns without fear of stigma or discrimination.
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Speaking on the intervention, the Officer in Charge of Adolescent Reproductive Health Programmes at the Anambra State Ministry of Health, Mrs Ifeoma Nwakpadolu, said privacy, confidentiality and respectful treatment were critical to encouraging young people to seek healthcare.
She said the selected facilities had been equipped with educational and recreational materials, including books, question-and-answer materials, board games, table tennis equipment and skipping ropes, to make the spaces more responsive to adolescents.
The State Team Lead for Jhpiego’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Project in Anambra, Mr Amaechi Okafor, said the organisation currently supports the six primary healthcare centres, with plans to extend the intervention to additional facilities.
Okafor said the programme is funded by the Global Fund through the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCP), in collaboration with Jhpiego, to strengthen youth-friendly services and improve adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health information and care.
