Urban adolescents’ reproductive health should be given importance: Experts

Public health experts have said that the reproductive health of urban adolescents should be given importance, otherwise society will be deprived of healthy mothers, healthy nations and healthy women leaders.

In Bangladesh, 4.6 million adolescent girls live in urban corporation areas, including slums and low-income areas. City schools do not have clean toilet facilities and sanitary pads for girls, said speakers at a programme titled "Urban Adolescent and Maternal Reproductive Health Policy Conference" organised by World Vision Bangladesh in Dhaka on Monday.

Speakers at the event said 8-19-year-old students, especially girls, in the city corporation areas, have very limited access to sexual, reproductive and other healthcare facilities.

Rural areas have one community clinic for every 6,000 people whereas in urban areas, there is such a centre for 50,000 people.

In the speech of the chief guest, Minister of Local Government Md Tajul Islam said, "Sexual and reproductive health issues are not openly discussed in our country due to social shyness and hesitation, which affect adolescents who are our daughters, future mothers and the backbone of our families, the most."

At the policy conference, Dr Aby Jamil Foisal, a public health expert, said the chapter on reproductive health is not taught in schools despite the Ministry of Education's instructions.

The availability of sanitary pads for adolescent girls should be ensured. The Department of Family Planning provides free sanitary napkins in rural areas, not in urban areas since urban health is the responsibility of local governments. Free sanitary napkins should be provided in urban areas as well.

Wall Vision informed that it had talked to 10-19-year-old girls in Dhaka city who said some of them spend seven to nine hours in school and coaching centres. During these long hours, many of them do not use toilets due to a lack of sanitation system, no running water facilities, and lack of adequate toilets. As a result, they suffer from various complications.

About 70-80% of girls interviewed said there is no menstrual management system in school during menstrual emergencies, for example, sanitary pads, iron tablets, folic acid tablets or necessary medicines.

Dr Abdul Aziz, a lawmaker and member of the Standing Committee on the Ministry of Health, said, "If we cannot stop early marriages, the birth of premature babies cannot be stopped. Besides female teenagers, we have to think of male teenagers because teenage gangs are on the rise."