{"id":1984,"date":"2020-12-07T04:13:17","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T04:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amref.org\/kenya\/?p=1984"},"modified":"2020-12-07T04:32:59","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T04:32:59","slug":"showcasing-how-youth-and-self-care-are-essential-for-the-achievement-of-uhc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amref.org\/kenya\/showcasing-how-youth-and-self-care-are-essential-for-the-achievement-of-uhc\/","title":{"rendered":"Showcasing how Youth and Self-care are Essential for the Achievement of UHC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Join the SCTG as we celebrate UHC Day to promote health for all. Throughout our\u00a012 Days of UHC<\/a>\u00a0series, SCTG members and partners share insights and lessons from their organizations on how self-care is part of the solution to achieving our goal \u2014\u00a0<\/em>build a safer and healthier future and health systems that serve and protect us all.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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By Ms.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Beatrice\u00a0<\/span>Nyamwenge<\/span>\u00a0Okech,\u00a0Ms. Evalin Karijo and Ms. Vania\u00a0<\/span>Kibui,\u00a0Y-ACT<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

When\u00a0<\/span>the topic of\u00a0<\/span>Universal Health Coverage\u00a0<\/span>(UHC)\u00a0<\/span>comes up<\/span>\u00a0in global discussions<\/span>, one immediately thinks of equitable access to healthcare for all, where no one is left behind and access to health services does not leave one in debt or abject poverty. Thus, it is no surprise that governments all over the globe have made commitments towards UHC as part of their\u00a0<\/span>development goals<\/span>. T<\/span>he achievem<\/span>ent of\u00a0<\/span>UHC<\/span>\u00a0however<\/span>\u00a0remains an ambitious goal for most nations, particularly those in the develop<\/span>ing world.\u00a0<\/span>W<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0are called to tap into our creativity and ingenuity to\u00a0<\/span>find<\/span>\u00a0innovative ways of achieving UHC. This also means the adoption and adaptation of prior innovations and schools of thought<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 self-care<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>is one of\u00a0<\/span>innovation that must be included in UHC<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Self-care, which is not a new concept, can be directly linked\u00a0<\/span>with\u00a0<\/span>the achievement of\u00a0<\/span>UHC<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0particularly in developing countries where the ratio of healthcare providers to the general population is considerably high<\/span>er<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>than<\/span>\u00a0recommended targets<\/span>. In Kenya, for instance, the doctor to patient ratio is 1 to 17,000<\/span>;<\/span>\u00a0the World Health Organization\u2019s recommended ratio\u00a0<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a01<\/span>\u00a0to 1,1<\/span>00. <\/span>While already alarming, this reality proves to be even starker<\/span>\u00a0as we face the COVID-19\u00a0<\/span>pandemic.\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>here is a need to innovate appropriate solutions within the current context to ensure that all have equitable access to healthcare, especially sexual an<\/span>d reproductive health services.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now more than ever, we are called to be cognizant of the urgency with which we are required to work towards strengthening healthcare systems at the national and grassroots level.\u00a0<\/span>In fulfilling its mandate,\u00a0<\/span>Y-ACT\u00a0<\/span>Youth in Action<\/span><\/i>\u00a0continues to work with young people to improve\u00a0<\/span>equitable\u00a0<\/span>access to adolescent and youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services in Kenya. <\/span>Y-ACT<\/span>\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Nairobi county<\/span> youth advocates coalition in collaboration with County Health, Gender and Youth departments\u2019 policymakers are working,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>on\u00a0<\/span>customi<\/span>z<\/span>ing a\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0pee<\/span>r youth-friendly services <\/span>support training\u00a0<\/span>manual<\/span>\u00a0w<\/span>hich <\/span>aim<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to strengthen the <\/span>capacity of\u00a0<\/span>youth\u00a0<\/span>communi<\/span>ty health volunteers<\/span>\u00a0on YFS components including Mental health, Safe motherhood, HIV\/AIDs, GBV in order to upscale YFS access to young people via peer to peer awareness creation<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>This will no doubt go a long way in amplifying the agency young people have to make informed decisions on their reproductive health<\/span>\u00a0and practice self-care<\/span>, which<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>can\u00a0<\/span>contribute to overall improved health outcomes in Kenya, where young people make up 75% of the population.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Furthermore, Y-ACT hosts the Youth4UHC movement, the first Pan-African movement of youth engagement in UHC. The movement was launched during the second\u202f<\/span>Africa Health Agenda International Youth Pre-Conference 2019<\/span><\/a>\u202fto galvanize youth voice<\/span>s<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>curate\u00a0<\/span>solutions for Africa\u2019s most pressing health challenges<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and hold leaders to account on their commitments to achieving UHC by 2030 by influencing country-specific and regional consultation processes related to the Sustainable Development Goals.\u00a0<\/span>Y-ACT,\u00a0AfriYAN\u00a0and the Youth4UHC Movement are currently developing the first Pan African Youth SRH Digital Knowledge Hub that will provide young people with reliable information, a platform to carry\u00a0<\/span>out joint mobilization and advocacy on SRH and the SDGs Last Decade of Action and social accountability efforts for SRH commitments in 14 African countries. This digital platform will include a chatbot that will enable young people to engage in SRH, further enhancing self-care among African youth. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These are but a few examples of how young people are<\/span>\u00a0taking up their rightful place in society, pushing for the strengtheni<\/span>ng of health systems despite these uncertain times<\/span>\u00a0and making sure\u00a0<\/span>youth have access to\u00a0<\/span>self-care<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Unified by one cause, young people continue to make it clear that we cannot wait for the pandemic to blow over\u00a0in order for\u00a0us t<\/span>o advance commitments made towards UHC.\u00a0<\/span>W<\/span>e are called upon to make conscientious, unified and rapid action alongside our governments to ensure the achievement of\u00a0<\/span>UHC and\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>self-care is included in that\u00a0<\/span>call<\/span>. And who better to lead the way than the youth?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Article first published on SCTG<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Join the SCTG as we celebrate UHC Day to promote health for all. Throughout our\u00a012 Days of UHC\u00a0series, SCTG members and partners share insights and lessons from their organizations on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":1985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[570,2083,405,644,168,446,867,2101],"class_list":["post-1984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amref.org\/kenya\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/1c0c13b1-151e-40a3-981c-2ab29cf94376.jpg?fit=1280%2C879&ssl=1","yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n