Sri Vijaya Puram, Feb. 26: A three-day training programme on Adolescent Friendly Health Services (AFHS) under Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) was organized for Medical Officers from Feb. 23 to 25 in the Conference Hall, Directorate of Industries.
The training aimed to expand the scope of the adolescent health programme beyond sexual and reproductive health to include nutrition, injuries and violence (including gender-based violence), non-communicable diseases, mental health, and substance misuse.
In his address, Dr. H. M. Siddaraju, Director of Health Services, emphasized the importance of conducting regular Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics at respective health institutions and encouraged Medical Officers to motivate adolescents to approach health workers for both physical and mental health concerns while Dr. Shiny Varghese, Deputy Director (Family Welfare) provided an overview of the training objectives and the RKSK programme.
The resource persons for the training included Dr. Amrita Burma, Assistant Professor, PSM, ANIIMS; Dr. Mitul Saha, Senior Resident, PSM, ANIIMS; Dr. Gayathri, Senior Resident, PSM, ANIIMS; Dr. G. P. Raju, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Smt. Hemalatha, Clinical Psychologist, G.B. Pant Hospital.