Kishor Swasthya Paramarsh Clinic (Adolescent Friendly Health Clinic), Uttarakhand

What is the Kishor Swasthya Paramarsh Clinic in Uttarakhand?

Kishor Swasthya Paramarsh Clinic is the counselling arm of Uttarakhand's Adolescent Friendly Health Clinic (AFHC) network, delivered under the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). The national adolescent health programme. The Department of Medical, Health and Family Welfare, through the state National Health Mission, runs it. RKSK was launched in Uttarakhand on 23 September 2014, and the clinics give every adolescent aged 10 to 19 years a place to get confidential advice and basic clinical care without paying a rupee.

According to the Uttarakhand National Health Mission, the programme covers the whole 10-to-19 age band, split into a younger 10-to-14 group and an older 15-to-19 group. The service is deliberately built to be "adolescent friendly": private space, flexible timing, trained counsellors and no requirement to bring a parent. The Hindi name "Kishor Swasthya Paramarsh" literally means "adolescent health counselling", which is exactly what the clinic offers.

What services does the adolescent clinic provide?

Kishor Swasthya Paramarsh Clinics work around the six priority areas that RKSK defines for adolescent health:

• Nutrition, screening for anaemia and undernutrition, and Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS).
• Sexual and reproductive health; age-appropriate counselling, menstrual hygiene guidance and referral where needed.
• Mental health: counselling for stress, anxiety, examination pressure and low mood.
• Substance misuse, advice and referral for tobacco, alcohol and drug use.
• Injuries and violence, including gender-based violence, a safe point to disclose and seek help.
• Non-communicable diseases: early guidance on lifestyle risks.

Alongside counselling, the wider programme delivers the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) and WIFS, and clinics can refer adolescents on to specialists at the district hospital. The state also uses trained peer educators; called Saathiya, to reach adolescents in the community and steer them to the nearest clinic.

Who is eligible to use the clinic?

You can use the clinic if:

• You are an adolescent aged 10 to 19 years.
• You live in Uttarakhand, the service is offered at government facilities across the state's districts.
• You are a boy or a girl, in school or out of school, married or unmarried.

Who is not eligible / cannot apply for a cash benefit: This is a free health service, not a cash-transfer scheme, so no one receives money under it. There is no income test and no cash payout — the "benefit" is free counselling, screening and clinical care. Adults above 19 years are not the target group and cannot apply for adolescent counselling under this programme, though they can use the regular outpatient services of the same hospital. No applicant is ever turned away for belonging to a particular caste, religion, income group or school status; the only qualifying test is the 10-to-19 age band.

How to apply for and use the Kishor Swasthya Paramarsh Clinic

Because this is a walk-in service, there is no application form and no fee. To apply, that is, to access the counsellor: follow these steps:

1. Find your nearest clinic. Ask at any government district hospital, sub-district hospital or community health centre whether it hosts an Adolescent Friendly Health Clinic, or call the 104 health helpline for the nearest location and timing. Uttarakhand's NHM reports 64 such clinics across the state.
2. Walk in during clinic hours and ask to meet the adolescent health counsellor. You do not need a referral, and you do not need to bring a parent.
3. Talk to the counsellor. Explain your concern. It may be about nutrition, periods, stress, tobacco or anything else. The session is confidential.
4. Follow the advice or referral. The counsellor may give you iron-folic acid tablets, basic treatment, or a referral to a doctor or specialist if the problem needs more care.

If you are more comfortable starting on the phone, call 104 first, the integrated 24x7 helpline includes adolescent counselling and can guide you to a clinic.

What documents do I need?

No document is compulsory. Bringing an identity proof such as an Aadhaar card, school ID or the Uttarakhand Golden/Ayushman card simply helps the clinic open a record for you, and an existing immunization or health card lets the counsellor see your history. A lack of documents will not stop you from being seen.

Is the service confidential?

Yes. Confidentiality is a core design principle of Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics. Counsellors are trained to keep discussions private and to create a non-judgemental space, which matters most for sensitive topics such as reproductive health, mental health and substance use. This is why many adolescents use the clinic without involving a parent, though a parent or guardian is welcome to accompany a younger child.

How is the programme staffed in Uttarakhand?

The Uttarakhand RKSK team, as listed by the state National Health Mission, includes 1 State RKSK Consultant, 6 District RKSK Coordinators and 74 dedicated adolescent health counsellors, supported by a large body of trained Saathiya peer educators. The 64 Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics sit inside medical colleges, district hospitals, sub-district hospitals and community health centres so that each district has an access point.

What happens at a counselling session, and what does WIFS involve?

Kishor Swasthya Paramarsh Clinic sessions begin with the counsellor asking about the adolescent's main concern in a private space, and there is no fixed script. Common outcomes include a short course of counselling, iron-folic acid tablets, deworming advice, a referral slip to a doctor, or linkage to another government service. Under the Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) programme, adolescents receive one supervised IFA tablet each week to prevent and treat anaemia, along with biannual deworming. A scheme delivered both through schools and through the clinics. Adolescent girls are additionally covered by the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme, under which subsidised sanitary napkins and menstrual health counselling are provided.

Adolescent Friendly Health Services in Uttarakhand are delivered by trained Medical Officers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and dedicated counsellors, so a young person can move smoothly from a counselling conversation to clinical care within the same facility. The clinics sit inside Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres, sub-district hospitals, district hospitals and medical colleges, which is why the counsellor can refer serious cases upward without the adolescent having to travel to a separate building.

How does the programme reach adolescents outside the clinic?

Kishor Swasthya Paramarsh Clinic is only one part of the wider Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram in Uttarakhand. The programme also runs community outreach through Saathiya peer educators, young volunteers trained to talk to other adolescents about nutrition, hygiene and health, and to steer them to the nearest clinic. Adolescent Health Days are held at Anganwadi and health-centre level to screen adolescents, give WIFS tablets and raise awareness. This outreach matters most for out-of-school adolescents, who might never visit a clinic on their own but can be reached by a peer educator in their own village or ward.

Help and where to raise a problem

• 104 health helpline, the integrated 24x7 service that includes adolescent counselling and clinic information.
• Adolescent health counsellor at the clinic, your first point of contact for any service issue.
• District RKSK Coordinator / District Hospital, for complaints about a clinic or to ask when the counsellor is available.

The Kishor Swasthya Paramarsh Clinic is free. No adolescent should ever be asked to pay for counselling, WIFS tablets or a referral under this programme, and services must not be refused for lack of an identity document.