Strengthening adolescent-friendly health services in community health centers (Puskesmas)

Highlights

Adolescents represent a significant proportion of Indonesia’s population and play a critical role in shaping the country’s future human capital. However, adolescent health services at community health centers (puskesmas) remain largely curative, with limited utilization of preventive, promotive, and counseling services. Findings from a study involving 2,905 adolescents in Aceh, Central Java, and South Sulawesi highlight key barriers to access, including long waiting times, service hours that overlap with school schedules, and low awareness of adolescent-specific services.
The study also reveals distinct gender-related health needs, underscoring the importance of gender-responsive approaches. This policy brief emphasizes the value of youth-led feedback mechanisms and adolescent participation in improving service quality. It recommends strengthening the capacity of health workers and peer counselors, integrating adolescent feedback into health center systems, enhancing service promotion through schools and digital platforms, and developing gender-responsive technical guidelines at the puskesmas level to foster trust and sustainable service utilization.