Lok Sabha Question No. 4045 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-01-04
Subject: Immature Deaths
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: RITI PATHAK

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4045 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04 TH JANUARY, 2019

## IMMATURE DEATHS

## 4045. SHRIMATI RITI PATHAK:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether more than 33 per cent diseases and 60 per cent immature deaths during adolescence are related to behavioural and other conditions originating at this age; and
- (b) if so, the steps taken by the Government to ensure proper healthcare during adolescence in rural India including the main programmes?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a): The global picture of the burden of disease shows that more than33% of the disease burden and almost 60% of premature deaths among adults can be associated with behaviour or conditions that began or occurred during adolescence
- (b): Considering  the  magnitude  of  various  health  problems  and  risk  factors  amon adolescents, which may have impact on maternal & child health outcomes and occurrence non- communicable disease in future, Government is implementing Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakaram (RKSK), which includes the following:
- Weekly Iron and Folic acid Supplementation (WIFS) for prevention of iron and folic acid deficiency anaemia in both rural and urban areas, covering government, governm aided  and  municipal  schools  and  Anganw adi  centres. It  involves  supervised weekly ingestion  of IFA  tablets by in - school  boys  and  girls  and  out - of - school  girls ,  along  with biannual  albendazole tablets  for  worm  infestation. Screening  of  targeted  adolescent population for moderate/ severe anaemia and referral of these cases to an appropriate health facility is also done.
- ' School Health Program me ' under Ayushman Bharat to strengthen health promotion and disease prevention interventions a  school level. It envisages training of two teachers from  each  school,  as  'Health  and  Wellness  Ambassadors'  who  will  further inform the students on the various adolescent health issues in weekly sessions
- The Scheme  for Promotion  of  Menstrual  Hygiene among  adolescent  girls  a ged 10- 19 yearsresiding primarily in ru ral areas includes :
- -Increasing awarenesson menstrual h ygiene
- -Improving access to and use of sanitary napkins.
- -Ensuring safe disposal of sanitary napkins in an environmentally friendly manner.
- Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHCs) at various levels of health system act as the first  level  of  contact  of  primary  health  care  services for adolescents through  trained Medical Officers, ANMs and Counsellors who providecounselling/curative services to the adolescents at these centres.
- The community based intervention of Peer educator programme involves selection and training of male and female peer educators (Saathiya) in villages.  These peer edu will  form  groups  in  the    community and  conduct  weekly  one  to  two  hour  participatory sessions on adolescent health, facilitate organization of Adolescent Health Day and adolescents to Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHCs ).