The youth in the country have urged authorities to consider incorporating a budget line for youth-friendly health services in the National Budget to increase access to sexual and reproductive health services and rights (SRHSR) among the youth.

The youth through a platform of organisations and youth champions, yesterday met chairpersons for the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Budget and Finance Committee and youth caucus to help advance the agenda to Parliament.

Ngwale: The issues
are pertinent

Speaking in an interview, the platform’s monitoring and evaluation officer Vincent Makuluni Thom said they conducted a budget analysis on the current budget and found huge gaps in terms of allocation of resources towards youth-friendly sexual reproductive services.

“We don’t have a budget line for youth-friendly health services and we are unable to track how much is allocated for SRHSR services. There is need to realign the indicators and budget line so that we are able to track the resources allocated,” he said.

Parliamentary Committee on Health chairperson Mathews Ngwale called on the youth to actively participate in the budget and policy processes.

He said: “The issues presented by the young people are pertinent and I support them. We will lobby with the Ministry of Health to make sure youth-friendly services have a budget line.”

Both health activist Maziko Matemba and chairperson for the parliamentary youth caucus Baba Steven Malondera echoed the need to engage the youth in the country in issues of health, especially about sexual and reproductive health rights issues.

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