Mexico YouthForce Advocacy E-Consultation - Groups - Action Tools

Message

From:	Esther Eshiet [ profile ]
Subject:	Responses to Week 1...sorry for the delay
Sent:	Mar 19th, 2008 - 13:50:04

	Week 1 What are the most important needs of young people in the HIV/AIDS pandemic today? The most important needs for young people now is having accurate and factual information and services about the pandemic. There is very big gap in terms of young peoples access to health services in Nigeria. Though we have a National health Insurance Scheme but this service covers young people below age 18 and those whose parents work in the formal sector esp.(Public/Civil servants);one therefore wonders what the state of health of other young people age 19-24, not to even talk about those 25-25 according to our National youth policy. Another existing gap is found in the sector distribution in our country, the public sector is made up of 30% of the population while the other 70% belong to the informal/organized private sector. There is therefore a dire need for young peoples health needs from an holistic approach in other to fight not just HIV/AIDS but other Sexually Transmitted Infections as well as other diseases. In your country (please state your country), are young people and youth service providers consulted with and included in addressing youth vulnerability and forming youth-specific HIV/AIDS policy? If so, describe their involvement (are the youth in positions of power, do they get to provide feedback or write legislation, etc). In Nigeria, young people were usually not consulted in terms of policy formulations but know the situation had changed; there is National Youth Network on HIV/AIDS(NYNETHA).Its through this medium that young people get to be involved in policy issues and other forms of consultation; but the NYNETHA structure is not really working due to its composition of politically- minded youth. Its also worthy to mention that we have a population of over 140 million people, about 50% of these are young people, so it cant be completely said that young people have been consulted rather these issues just revolve around the NGO community and its getting down to the rural areas. What kind of steps should the government take to prevent the spread of HIV among young people in your country that they are not taking already? I think government has taken lots of steps to combat the Virus especially with the successful implementation of the Family Life and HIV/AIDS Educational programmes in the school curriculum but more needs to be done in terms of compelling all the states in the federation to follow suit. I also want to suggest that our government halts the implementation of the NHIS ,and its should be reviewed to cater for the health needs of young people aged 19-24 as well provide a strategy that would make this service accessible to young people whose parents belong to the private sector at a low and if possible no fee.

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