09 June,2010 09:16 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
PMC school students to get 5 counselling clinics to deal with adolescent issues
Realising the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has not made any budgetary allocation in five years for providing municipal school students with counselling on sex-related issues, the state health department has decided to give Rs 3 lakh to the PMC to open adolescent clinics.
There are about 20,000 students in PMC schools who are between 10 and 19 years of age and may require adolescent counselling and instruction on dealing with their emerging sexuality.
Confirming the grant, Dr D B Pardeshi, PMC assistant health officer, said that such a programme was essential but could not be sustained by the PMC alone.
"Between 2001 and 2005, we had a programme that provided sex-related counselling to these kids which was run by funds given by the United Nation Population Fund Agency (UNPFA), but it lapsed and no programme was run later," said Pardeshi.
The adolescent clinics will be opened at five civic hospitals, namely Sonawane Hospital, Kamla Nehru Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, Aundh Kuti Hospital and Ambedkar Hospital. They will get funds from the National Rural Health Mission of the state health department.
"A counsellor will be appointed and those students who are willing to discuss their problems or those who need help will be taken to a centre by the school," said Pardeshi.
NGOs to help
The official added that the project will be implemented with help from NGOs to impart proper guidance and also remove any misconceptions about sexually transmitted diseases in the minds of children.
Anuradha Sahastrabuddhe of NGO Dnyanadevi Childline welcomed the idea of adolescent clinics for these children.
"Sex-related issues among students in PMC schools are often ignored," she said. "This negatively impacts their health and, finally, their studies."
Sexologist Dr Leena Mohadikar said sex education was not a luxury but a necessity and the underprivileged should not be denied it.
"The underprivileged children of PMC schools should not be excluded and should be given proper sex education and counselling," she said.
