Some selected midwives and community health nurses in the Northern Region have undergone a training to enhance their skills and capacity to offer youth friendly services at the health facilities in the areas of sexual and reproductive health.

The week-long training, organized by Savana Signatures, an Information and Communication Technology focused organization, ended in Tamale at the weekend with a total of 32 health professionals benefiting.

The training formed part of the “Young People in-charge Project” being implemented by Savana Signatures in the Region to improve savings culture amongst the youth to enable them to lead productive lifestyles.

Mr Abdul-Rashid Imoro, Programmes Manager of Savana Signatures, who spoke at the closing of the training, explained that it would help the beneficiary midwives and community health nurses to respond to the needs of the youth, who required sexual and reproductive health services.

Mr Imoro said young people required sexual and reproductive health services to enable them to lead responsible lifestyles but found it difficult to approach health care givers because they (young people) did not feel comfortable to do so, hence the training to make the health care givers more approachable and friendly.

He quoted the 2014 Health Survey by the Ghana Health Service, which indicated that 70,000 young people between the ages of 15 to 19 were impregnated, saying the training hoped to reduce this trend since young people would receive sexual and reproductive health services at the health centres.

Madam Awaa Francisca, Principal Midwifery Officer at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, who was one of the resource persons at the training, said the facilities in the Region were ready to offer youth friendly services on sexual and reproductive health and urged young people to avail themselves for such services.

Mr Emmanuel Ataridena, Community Health Nurse at Langbinsi Health Centre in the East Mamprusi District, who was a participant, described the training as important as it would help to improve service delivery to young people.