Youth urged to patronize adolescent health centres

Dr John Yabani, Tema Metropolitan Health Director, has urged the youth in the Metropolis to patronize the various adolescent health centres established in all public health institutions.

Dr Yabani, who was speaking at the maiden Adolescent Health Club Inter-Schools Debate for selected schools in the Greater Accra Region, said adolescents should feel free to visit and explore the many services and information offered by the centres.

He said his outfit currently has the adolescent friendly centres in all the public health institutions in the Metropolis stating that they were working on extending the services to private hospitals and communities.

The centres offer adolescents education on sexually transmitted diseases and infections, contraceptives, substance abuse, dangers of abortion, physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

The centres also engage in screening the youth for STD/STI, breast cancer among other diseases.

He stated that to take the promotion of adolescent health closer to the youth, about 40 adolescent health clubs have been established in Ghana out of which 18 are in schools in Tema.

The Tema Health Director said the debate was to assess the depth information the club members had obtained since the commencement of the various clubs some few months ago.

The theme for the debate was "social media is more of a curse than a blessing in promoting adolescent sexual reproductive health in Ghana".

Dr Yabani indicated that the debate was also to open up the theme to adolescents to know that social media could be both a curse and blessings depending on how they use it.

He therefore encouraged them to use social media to acquire knowledge and information on issues that would promote their studies and secure their future.

He thanked the Tema Metropolitan Education Directorate for collaborating with his outfit to establish the clubs and promote good health among students.

At the end of the debate among seven participating schools, Chemu Senior High emerged winners with 299 points.

Presbyterian Senior High School in Tema and the Tema Senior High School placed second and third with 253 and 252 points respectively.

Other participating schools were Holy Trinity SHS, Methodist Day SHS, Tema Manhean SHS and Kinbu SHS.