Teens at risk: Experts warn Filipino adolescents are being overlooked in healthcare

Filipino adolescents are being overlooked in the country's healthcare system, two leading pediatricians warned, as they urged government and health professionals to refocus efforts on this large and underserved group.

- By JEL SANTOS

"Now, despite their huge numbers, basically the doctor is out for adolescents in terms of not only services but programs, data gathering, and even research," Dr. Emma Llanto of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) said during a media forum titled "Uniting Voices for Adolescent Health" in Quezon City, on Thursday, Aug. 7.

According to her, adolescents often go unnoticed in the healthcare system simply because they appear healthy.

"Adolescents rarely get any kind of healthcare because they look like they're healthy," she added.

Dr. Vanessa Maria Torres-Ticson, president of the Philippine Society for Adolescent Medicine Specialists, pointed out that many teens are missing essential vaccines that could protect them from disease.

"There are 1.2 billion adolescents who live mostly in lowto middle-income countries like the Philippines," she said.

"Adolescents age 10 to 19 years old make up as high as 22 percent of our Philippine population."

Torres-Ticson noted that adolescents, despite representing a large share of the population, are still largely overlooked in healthcare services, especially in immunization efforts.

"They remain a vulnerable group when it comes to infections."

Barriers to care

Torres-Ticson outlined several reasons why teens are being left behind.

"First, because of their missed childhood vaccinations, or they may not have received booster doses," she said.