The going of parents abroad, lack of communication and economic problems make the young people and teens in Moldova vulnerable to daily problems. They are increasingly stressed and become introvert, do not have confidence in their abilities or suffer from different diseases, including sexually transmitted ones. In this connection, many of the young people seek help from youth-friendly health centers where they can receive counselling from multidisciplinary teams. The subject of health among the teens and young people was discussed in an international conference that was opened in Chisinau on October 3, IPN reports.
According to Galina Leshko, head of the youth-friendly health center “Neovita”, the young people in Moldova face a series of problems, such as those related to their development, the sexual-reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, and pregnancy. The number of mental problems, such as depression, anxiety or stress has increased. To gain teens’ confidence, it is important to adopt a special individualized approach based on respect and understanding.
Galina Leshko said the investments in youth health are absolutely necessary for preventing other problems. In this regard, 41 youth-friendly health centers with multidisciplinary teams oriented to the needs of teens were opened in Moldova during the past few years. These annually provide services for 50,000 young people and over 200,000 young people came back to the centers after aid.
Among other major problems faced by the young people are the bullying, use of violence (young people support such stereotypes as “an unbeaten woman is like an unclean house”, even if the number of these decreases with age), unprotected sex, low confidence in parents, and others.
At the conference, a group of volunteers who took part in an exercise to analyze the problems faced by young people, said one third of the teens have one or both of the parents working abroad and this causes problems related to communication in the family. Most of these teens have efficient communication only with one family member. These do not seek help from others to solve their problems as they fear they will be blamed. However, the young people consider they need the parents to become involved in the solving of their problems and to support them. They also think the divorces and unhealthy lifestyle influence the quality of the child’s life.
UNICEF Representative in the Republic of Moldova Desiree Jongsma said UNICEF assumed long-term responsibility in relation to the young people, namely to ensure their health and welfare. UNICEF supported the creation of youth-friendly health centers that now cover 25% of the teens and young people aged between 10 and 24 all over the country.
“We will continue to support the services untended for the most vulnerable young people in the country. These services should be ensured in the context of the health reform. Each doctor should make sure that confidentiality, intimacy and the superior interest of the child are respected and guaranteed,” stated Desiree Jongsma, noting emphasis will be placed on the support of the teens with disabilities and chronic diseases as these should have equal chances of access to health.
Secretary of state at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection Boris Gîlca said the services provided for the young people are integrated into the community health services and are included in the state budget. Moldova has now a rich experience in offering youth-friendly services that it can and wants to export to other regions and countries.
The 21st European Regional IAAH Conference 2018 and the National Conference on Adolescent Health will end on October 5.
