Dr. V.K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog delivers keynote address in Townhall session for the G20 Co-branded Event on Adolescent Health and Well-being
“Today’s young children are our future, and our future depends on them.” This was stated by Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog while delivering the keynote address in Townhall session at the ‘Health of Youth – Wealth of Nation’, a G20 co-branded event organized by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) here today.
Accentuating the influence of internet in daily life, Dr. Paul cautioned that “Internet is a necessity. It has changed lives, some in a positive way, however like most other things, it comes with a baggage.” Emphasizing on the dangers of AI influence on personal lives, he stated “Time has come that again that parents, school, media we talk about the rightful and excessive use of internet. The education, moderation, the rules should be a way forward for the families and the society at large. However, artificial intelligence can also become dangerous in its influence and students must have access to counselling, treatment and help as required.” Dr. Paul stressed that “we have to think about a collective response on how to handle the technology which is posing challenges that we have never seen before.” Elaborating further, Dr. Paul stated “At societal level we need to make healthy eating, talking about issues like sexual, reproductive health, mental health the norm.” He also emphasized on a neglected area in health care, the importance of sleep and its impact on health.
He further added “Ministry of Health and Niti Aayog are working together to review, refine and upgrade care of adolescents. This age group is very critical for all nations, much more so for India because for the next twenty-five years, we have set the goals for developed nation.” Dr. Paul noted that “Converging services, counselling and wellness in schools is of utmost importance.” He invited the youth representatives for their inputs in designing a school health program that fits in the needs of the students today and incorporates elements in enhancing their well-being
The townhall session underscored the challenges facing the youth that directly impact their health such as mental health, menstrual hygiene, cyber bulling. Youth representatives from India and abroad brought to fore stories and experiences detailing these challenges and deliberated on possible solutions to ease these difficulties across regions. The speakers concurred that stigma surrounding these issues highly restricts progress and awareness and resources must be dispersed to achieve a breakthrough. “Worldwide victims speak the language of silence, but conversations in forums such as these is how stigma can be broken.” Youth representatives also shared some success stories wherein new products were made from waste; counselling services that led to greater awareness on hygiene for girls regarding mensuration. However, these stories also underscored a need for concerted efforts from all stakeholders for achieving far greater impact. Yatan Balhara, Professor, AIIMS, Githinji Gitahi, CEO, AMREF Africa, Amy Ucello, Senior Adolescent and Youth Technical Expert, USAID, Andrea Wojnar, Country Representative, UNFPA India, Ann Starrs, Director of Family Planning, BMGF facilitated discussions for this session.
Two panel discussions were also held. Centre staging health & well-being of adolescents and young people being the first session saw eminent health experts delving into facets of health. Dr Kapil Yadav, AIIMS highlighted the importance of eating healthy food, referring to Eat Right campaign run by the central government. He reiterated that “adolescence is the prime age for inculcating good eating habits which lay the foundation for lasting good health.
