KP MPAs vow to legislate for youth-friendly health services

PESHAWAR: The legislators from all major political parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have committed through a written document to support legislation about accessibility of the Youth Friendly Health Services (YFHS) related to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).

The KP lawmakers, mostly women from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and KP Assembly deputy speaker made the commitment to support the Youth Friendly Health Services. Blue Veins, a non-government organisation, under the project 'Young Omang' which aims to address the limited protection and respect and the hindered fulfilment of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of young people in Pakistan, organised an all party conference to obtain commitments to fulfill the SRHR needs and in favour of universal access to YFHS in the form of a consensual statement in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The conference was held to sensitize representatives of political parties, legislators and policymakers from KP on the accessibility of Youth Friendly Health Services. In his address as chief guest, Deputy Speaker Mehmood Jan said the government had the capability to meet the target of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.

However, he said, the PTI government was trying to change the "slavery mindset" and for obtaining the SDGs goals we have to change the slavery mindset first and that was why our Prime Minister Imran Khan avoided the IMF and visited friendly countries to steer the country of the economic crisis.

PTI Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Dr Sumaira Shams and member of Standing Committee on Public Accounts, stated that the youth might be reluctant to involve parents or to consult family physicians for reproductive concerns, which is why primary health care service models need to support youth access to care and ensure that the youth feel comfortable in stating all their concerns in health care centres and hospitals.

She said the government needed to ensure that such facilities were made available without any fear of stigma or discrimination.

Awami National Party MPA Shagufta Malik and a member of the provincial task force on SDGs, stated the SRHR was fundamental to realizing sustainable development for all and for the 2030 agenda and its ambitious goals to be realized.

PTI MPA Aisha Bano stated that friendly health services were required to ensure quality services at public, private hospitals and clinics which were easily accessible for youth including girls, boy and sexual and gender minorities.

PTI minority MPA Ravi Kumar stated that provincial laws, policies and practices should be passed that may foster and perpetuate discrimination in health-care settings, both by reinforcing stigmatizing attitudes and discriminatory actions (including prohibiting certain groups of people from accessing health services).

PTI MPA Aasia Khattak and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl MPA Rehana Ismail vowed to support legislation and policies about the health and reproductive issues of the youth.

Qamar Naseem, Programme Coordinator, Blue Veins, said that due to the stigma and taboo youth in Pakistan experienced more physical and sexual violence.

The conference concluded with the consensual statement signed by all political parties' representatives with the pledge to support the system, policies and strategies that guaranteed holistic and standard youth friendly health services.