The Ministry of Health has officially launched a national training initiative aimed at strengthening adolescent healthcare in Saint Lucia, through collaboration with several key development partners.
The training session, held at the Ministry of Infrastructure’s Conference Room in Union, brought together a wide cross-section of healthcare providers committed to improving service delivery for the nation’s youth.
The initiative focuses on the implementation of the National Standards for Quality Healthcare Services for Adolescents, which are designed to ensure that young people receive care that is safe, confidential, evidence-based, and responsive to their unique needs.
The sessions were hosted in collaboration with UN Women, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Build Back Equal Project.
Reproductive Health Specialist Ogwuche Odo described the standards as a significant step forward in improving adolescent health outcomes across the island.
“These standards represent a practical, strategic step forward in ensuring that adolescents receive the quality care that they need and deserve,” Odo said. He also highlighted the Ministry of Health’s efforts to strengthen coordination in this area.
“It is also worth noting that the Ministry of Health has established the SRE Technical Working Group to strengthen the coordination of sexual and reproductive health interventions across the island. This kind of leadership is critical to ensuring that the standards are not only adopted but effectively implemented.”
Consultant Dr. Tonia Frame explained that the standards are wide-ranging and place strong emphasis on health literacy and provider competence.
“There are eight standards, and they’re really looking at the first standard, for example, around health literacy, adolescent health literacy, ensuring that adolescents have adequate knowledge and information, know where to go to access services, and can understand the information that is shared with them,” Dr. Frame said.
She noted that a key component of the training is equipping healthcare providers with the skills needed to effectively engage young people.
“A big part of this training is ensuring that providers have the competence to engage adolescents in a way that is age-appropriate but also culturally appropriate,” she explained. “I know that’s a difficult concept to marry, but yes, it does have to be culturally appropriate in terms of the laws of Saint Lucia and so forth.”
Officials say the training marks an important milestone in the country’s efforts to improve adolescent health services and ensure that young people across Saint Lucia can access quality care tailored to their specific needs.