Healthcare providers play a significant role in providing services to young people. As such, institutions must adequately train them on how to deliver Adolescent and Youth-Friendly Health Services (AYFHS). To this end, the Health Services Unit of Action Health Incorporated (AHI) organized a week-long training programme for 29 Post-Basic Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing students from the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, Lagos.
The goals of the training were to expose the nurses to the concept of AYFHS provision, increase their knowledge of adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues, and improve their communication when providing services to young people.
After an introduction and welcome address by Ms Nuriyat Abdulrasheed, AHI’s Youth-Friendly Health Services Provider, the participants were given a tour of the AHI Youth Centre and Youth-Friendly Clinic. The training then began in earnest with the setting of ground rules and an overview of the training content. The remainder of the training was highly participatory and consisted of group exercises, brainstorming sessions, demonstrations, and lecture presentations by AHI Programme Staff.
At the end of the programme, Ms Abdulrasheed asked the participants to use their platforms to educate young people on health-seeking behaviours that promote their general health. The nursing students remarked that they found the training useful and highly relevant for the services they provide to young people.
While reflecting on the project, Ms Abdulrasheed noted the importance of training health workers on youth-friendly service to guarantee that SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) is achieved. “The Health Service Unit of Action Health Incorporated will continue to contribute to achieving the SDGs,” she concluded.
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