Help youth to conquer fear, stigma for better health: experts

Dar es Salaam. Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies among youth have remained a persistent challenge in the country partly because the youth fear being scrutinized or reprimanded by the society when seeking health services.

Experts in Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) say despite government efforts to create a youth-friendly environment for provision of services, a section of adolescents opt to hide their health challenges, hence they risk suffering from complications of the diseases.

Ms Desteria Nanyanga from the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, says the youth can conquer the fear of seeking health services if they are equipped with life-skills, in addition to ongoing efforts by stakeholders to boost youth-friendly health services.

“Young people have special needs but the society seems not to be concerned about them. They have their way of communicating which may not be recognized at health facilities. But above all, they need extensive coaching in life skills,’’ says Nanyanga, a program officer in the ministry’s Adolescent, Reproductive Health and Gender section.

Nasreem Vera, a peer educator in Morogoro region who is attached with the sexual and reproductive health organization (UMATI), says when youth are faced with common conditions such as fever, respiratory infections, or malaria, they may not hesitate to seek healthcare but when it comes to more sensitive matters such as sexual health, the opposite is the case.

“I have interacted with most youth, as a young person myself. They tend to hide some of their health problems if they know the community won’t accept them. This can endanger their life and health,’’ she explains, emphasizing on why the youth need more privacy and good communication between them and healthcare providers.

Tanzania’s Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) 2015 – 2020 recognizes adolescents and calls out the need to address adolescent health in the country, but to make the plans workable, experts suggest investing in improving the perception of communities and health workers about youth health.

Dr Faouz Marzouk, a medical officer who has been raising awareness on adolescent health for years, says that at certain health facilities, initiatives are being taken to enable youth access healthcare.

“Their services are usually placed separately because, for cultural reasons and traditional beliefs, some adolescents believe that if they report to a health facility with certain health problems, they would be stigmatized,’’ he says.

Dr Marzouk, who recently facilitated a training for youth on SRH under UMATI, says the impact of not helping the youth conquer the fear is huge because sexually transmitted infections such as HIV are taking a bigger toll on youth.

According to the current (2016-17) Tanzania HIV Impact Survey (THIS), it is estimated that 1.4 percent (2.1 percent among females and 0.6 percent among males) of 15-24 year olds are living with HIV.

The impact is mostly pronounced among younger adults with women in the 15-19 and 20-24 age-groups , all having prevalence more than double that of males.