Govt to launch national program to tackle adolescent suicides

Amid reports that suicide by Indian adolescents is rising at a rate of 5 to 10 per cent every year, government today announced the launch of the National Adolescent Health Programme from tomorrow.

For the first time, a dedicated health programme will cater to varied needs of adolescents who comprise 21 per cent of India's total population. (Read: Why have adolescent suicides gone up by four times in the last twenty years?)

The programme, to be launched here by Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, will define adolescents as those belonging to the age group 10 to 19 years, ending ambiguity on the scope of the definition of adolescents.

In another first, the programme to be extended for adolescent well-being has also been expanded to include not just reproductive sexual health but also nutrition, injuries and violence including gender-based violence, non communicable diseases, mental health and substance abuse.

Giving details of the new programme which will be rolled out as part of the National Health Mission for which flexi funds are available with the Ministry of Health, Anuradha Gupta, Additional Secretary, Health, said 'this is the first time that we are clarifying the definition of the word adolescent. The programme will address the needs of 253 million adolescents who make up 21 per cent of our population.

It is a significant intervention considering one fourth of the world?s adolescents live in India.'

The programme has proposed selection of four peer educators per habitation of 1000 people.

Source: PTI

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