How to make healthcare comfortable for children and teenagers?

How to make medicine convenient for children and adolescents?

How to help children and adolescents not feel afraid of doctors and talk freely about health issues? This question was discussed at the World Summit on Child Wellbeing in Samarkand. Representatives of Belarus and Russia spoke about youth-friendly centers, school medical examinations, and crisis hotlines, while discussion participants suggested conducting preventive check-ups using mobile clinics. A Podrobno.uz correspondent attended the session and learned what approaches are being used in different countries.

### More than 60 youth-friendly centers in Belarus

Deputy Minister of Health of Belarus Elena Bogdan reported that with the support of UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), more than 60 centers friendly to adolescents and youth operate in the country.

These centers employ specialists trained to communicate with young people. Volunteers are also involved in the work, and a "peer-to-peer" approach is used, where young people pass on information to their peers.

"The most important thing is that specialists working with children know how to build communication, first and foremost, with the young person themselves," said Elena Bogdan.

According to her, this approach is especially important during adolescence, when young people have questions about physical and psychological health, relationships, and growing up. During this period, it can be more difficult for them to discuss certain topics in the presence of parents or other adults. Training medical workers helps structure the conversation so that a teenager can ask a question that concerns them and receive professional help.

Belarus also strives to make visits to polyclinics less stressful for younger children. As Elena Bogdan said, special spaces are being created in large children's medical institutions, where safety issues are discussed with children in a playful way.

She also cited the example of pediatric dental offices, where screens with cartoons have been installed to distract children during appointments.

"When you interact with children in a playful way, they react to medical workers more calmly," noted Elena Bogdan.

### School medicine

Another approach is to conduct preventive check-ups where children spend a significant portion of their time. Deputy Minister of Health of Russia Evgeniya Kotova spoke about the development of medical services in schools and preschool institutions.

This format makes it possible to conduct examinations in educational institutions without forcing parents to ask for time off work each time and separately schedule a preventive appointment for the child.

"Doctors travel out to the children, and a complete medical examination program and conversation with the child are conducted right where they spend most of their time," said Evgeniya Kotova.

At the same time, according to her, school medicine should not be separated from the general healthcare system. Medical workers in educational institutions are assigned to polyclinics, which allows for coordination of their work with specialists and ensures the necessary professional training.

Preventive check-ups provide for a more in-depth examination during key periods of growing up: before entering school, before transitioning to subject-based learning, and during adolescence.

Thus, school medicine helps solve two problems at once: to facilitate access to prevention for families and to make medical supervision part of the child's familiar environment.

### Reproductive health and the opportunity to talk to a doctor

A separate topic is adolescents seeking help regarding reproductive health issues. Evgeniya Kotova noted that young people sometimes feel uncomfortable visiting facilities oriented mainly towards adults.

In Russia, according to her, offices for the protection of children's and youth reproductive health are opening in municipalities. This format is intended to reduce the stigma surrounding seeking help and make it more accessible.

In addition, starting from the age of 15, preventive check-ups include an introduction to an obstetrician-gynecologist for both girls and boys. This allows reproductive health issues to be discussed as part of preventive work, rather than only when a problem has already arisen.

To support mental health, 24/7 crisis hotlines also operate in Russia.

"It is clear that calls are anonymous, so children are not hesitant to talk about it," noted Evgeniya Kotova.

Crisis hotlines allow people to seek support when it is difficult to talk to loved ones right away or visit a specialist in person. At the same time, they complement, rather than replace, medical care and work with the family.

### Mobile clinics

During the discussion, a proposal was also voiced to create mobile clinics for preventive check-ups. The idea is that special buses would come directly to schools, so parents would not have to organize the child's trip to a medical facility on their own.

The author of the proposal noted that such buses could be decorated in a style attractive to children to reduce fear of the examination. The mobile model could also facilitate access to preventive care in remote areas.

"On the contrary, we drive to the school with these buses and conduct a preventive examination," a youth representative explained.

According to his plan, the familiar environment and the opportunity to undergo the examination together with classmates could help children feel calmer.

At the same time, mobile clinics were discussed specifically as a proposal. No details regarding the launch timeframe of such a program, its funding, or specific implementation plans were provided during the session.

### What approach unites these initiatives

The examples presented at the summit address different challenges. School medicine and mobile clinics are designed to bring preventive care closer to children and make it easier for families to receive. Youth-friendly centers, reproductive health offices, and crisis hotlines create additional opportunities for seeking help on issues that young people might find difficult to discuss. And playful elements in children's polyclinics help reduce anxiety before medical procedures.

The general principle is that pediatric healthcare should take into account not only medical needs, but also the child's age, emotional state, and living conditions. For this to happen, it is important that parents have the opportunity to arrange the necessary help in a timely manner, and that children and adolescents themselves feel calm and safe enough to talk about their problems.