Bukola Afeni
Gem Hub Initiative has called on governments at all levels to ensure the consistent availability of essential health commodities and improve access to quality health services for Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW).
The call was made in a statement issued to commemorate Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day 2025, themed “Unaffordable health costs? We’re sick of it!”
According to the organization, despite notable progress toward achieving Universal Health Coverage, millions of young people particularly adolescents continue to face challenges accessing affordable, confidential, and youth-responsive healthcare.
Gem Hub Initiative noted that rising out-of-pocket health expenses, weak infrastructure, and persistent service delivery gaps continue to undermine progress, leaving adolescents among the most underserved populations within the health system.
The organization highlighted the specific barriers faced by AGYW in accessing essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.
As part of efforts to address these challenges, Gem Hub conducted an assessment of Youth-Friendly Health Services (YFHS) as well as an AGYW perception survey in Rivers State.
The findings reflect the lived experiences of young people across the country. According to the report, high healthcare costs are driving many AGYW away from essential services, with several unable to afford STI testing and treatment particularly those without health insurance forcing them to delay or completely avoid care.
The assessment also revealed critical gaps in the availability of SRH commodities, noting that emergency contraception was absent in all assessed facilities, underscoring a broader national supply challenge.
Additional findings showed persistent service delivery gaps, including shortages of trained personnel, inconsistent application of Youth-Friendly Health Service guidelines, and unfriendly client experiences that erode trust in Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities.
“Infrastructure challenges further limit access to care, with poor road networks, seasonal flooding, irregular service hours, and unreliable power supply affecting service availability.
“Low levels of community and parental engagement were also identified as key barriers, especially as many AGYW rely on parents or guardians for healthcare decisions.”
Based on the findings, the organization called on the Federal and Rivers State Governments to urgently strengthen the implementation of youth-friendly health services.
“We are calling on government to move beyond policy statements to practical action training health workers, deploying dedicated staff, and ensuring essential commodities are always available,” Gem Hub said.
Specifically, the organization urged authorities to distribute the National Guidelines for Integrating Youth-Friendly Health Services across all PHCs, conduct refresher training for PHC staff, ensure consistent availability of emergency contraception, assign dedicated doctors to AGYW services, and update health data tools to disaggregate the 15–29 age group.
Gem Hub Initiative also appealed to the Rivers State House of Assembly, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Finance to increase investment in adolescent and youth health.
“Budget lines for adolescent and youth health must be protected and released on time. Without sustained financing, these gaps will persist,” the organization stressed.
The group also urged the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme to reconsider plans to increase annual premiums for young people.
“Any increase in insurance premiums will further exclude adolescents and young people who are already struggling to afford care,” Gem Hub cautioned.
The organization further called on civil society organizations and community leaders to intensify youth-focused outreach and accountability efforts.
“Communities and civil society must work together to demand quality, respectful, and youth-friendly services,” the statement added.
Gem Hub charged adolescents and young people to take ownership of their health.
“Your health is your power. Seek care early, ask questions, protect yourself, and enroll in health insurance to reduce the burden of healthcare costs,” the organization advised.
