Madam Rhema Andah, Programmes Assistant, Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has called on health personnel to build good relations with adolescent patients.

She said most adolescents felt reluctant to visit health facilities to access healthcare due to the negative attitude of some professionals towards them, and this did not help address adolescent health issues.

Madam Andah was speaking to the Ghana News Agency during “Girls hearing and Dissemination of Adolescent Scorecards Accountability Assessment Forum” at Kpeve in the South Dayi District of the Volta Region.

The forum was to share with various stakeholders findings of a study carried out by the organisation in collaboration with the Volta Educational Renaissance Foundation (VEReF) regarding the readiness of health facilities in the District to provide adolescent-friendly health services.

It also aimed at providing a platform for stakeholders to deliberate and come out with the best possible ways to address the gaps identified during the survey to enhance effective adolescent healthcare delivery in the District.

Madam Andah said a healthy relationship between healthcare providers and adolescent patients was a sine qua non, as it encouraged them to visit health facilities whenever they had problems, knowing that they would be warmly received and properly attended to.

Mr Senanu Agbozo Consultant at ARHR mentioned inadequate staff, lack of well-documented confidential policy, negative attitude of some health personnel towards adolescent patients, lack of easy access to some facilities among others as some gaps identified during the survey.

He said the study was not a fault-finding survey but rather to identify challenges facing health facilities in rendering services to adolescents and the difficulties adolescents went through accessing healthcare, so they could bring them to the attention of relevant authorities for quick redress.

Mr Agbozo urged health personnel to be patient with adolescents whenever they came to the health facilities for health services as adolescence was characterised with several emotional challenges.

Madam Albertina Alipui, Acting Finance, and Administration Manager, VEReF, said it was important for society to pay serious attention to issues affecting adolescents and develop comprehensive mechanisms to solve them.

She said adolescents could play their role effectively in enhancing the development of society if they were well equipped, therefore conscious efforts should be made to enhance their holistic development.

Madam Alipui said VEReF and ARHR were determined to provide the needed education to out of school adolescents on legal issues and their reproductive health rights to bridge the gap between them and those in schools.

Madam Patience Nunoo, the District Health Director said her outfit was putting the necessary mechanisms in place to reduce teenage pregnancy in the area and called for support from all.

She commended the ARHR and VEReF for providing the needed sensitisation to adolescents in the area on their reproductive health and sexual rights to promote their well-being.