7.6 Mechanisms of early detection and signposting of young people facing health risks
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Policy framework
The Decree on the National Health Care Programme for Women, Children and Youth specifies the importance of early detection. The Programme defines that the systematic examinations, planned interviews and control examinations with a coverage of 95% are performed to monitor growth, development, health status, adolescent behaviour, early detection of health disorders, signs of neglect and abuse, as well as to conduct health promotion.
Systematic and control examinations and planned interviews are conducted according to the expert-methodological instructions for the implementation of this programme.
The programme defines the importance of early detection is several specific areas:
- Prevention and treatment of obesity and eating disorders.
- Protection and improvement of adolescent reproductive health.
- Early detection, adequate treatment and appropriate support for adolescents with chronic diseases and disabilities.
- Prevention of the use and abuse of tobacco, alcohol and illegal psychoactive substances, adequate treatment of adolescents who abuse or are addicted to psychoactive substances (PAS), reducing the effects of the use of PAS.
- Early detection and adequate care of adolescents with mental health problems.
- Prevention of violence, neglect and abuse, mitigation of violence, neglect and abuse, prevention of injuries and poisoning.
In all these areas education of health workers, adolescents, parents or legal guardians for early detection education is seen as an important step in prevention.
Health care for young people after coming of age, prevention of health disorders and early detection of diseases should be conducted through targeted preventive examinations at least every other year for all young people aged 19 to 26 which include an adapted, friendly tone, thematic conversation that should motivate young people to improve and preserve their health.
Stakeholders
Although the health sector has a key role in the promotion, prevention and protection of health, other sectors, such as education, social protection, culture, science, legal system, financing, also have a significant impact on health sector. By establishing mechanisms of cooperation and partnership with associations, conditions are created to provide children and young people with a safe and stimulating environment for development and growing up.
The health care services for women, children and youth should be oriented towards local self-government, and to make their activities available and ensure their implementation outside health care institutions. This includes organizing lectures, seminars, forums and workshops in schools and kindergartens, clubs and associations, in public places, in unhygienic settlements, as well as public events in order to promote health. Local self-government is represented by political decision-makers, educational institutions, centres for social work, public media, associations that work with vulnerable groups.
Guidance to stakeholders
There is no particular guidance for stakeholders.
Target groups
The youth population groups covered by the Programme are: youth to adulthood; young after reaching the age of 26. Vulnerable groups should have priority in the process of planning and organizing health services for women, children and youth.
Vulnerable groups include: the poor, the Roma population, children with disabilities, children at risk and with developmental disabilities, abused and neglected children, children without parental care placed in institutions, mothers and children from rural areas, children who have dropped out of school - "street children and adolescents", as well as refugees and internally displaced persons, single mothers and mothers exposed to violence, minors and other mothers who cannot take care of themselves and their own offspring.
Funding
The funds needed for the implementation of the Programme will be provided from the budget of the Republic of Serbia. Funds intended for the implementation of the Programme will be determined each year depending on the dynamics of use of funds and planned activities for the current year.