Position Statement on the Hospital Admission and Care of Adolescents (10–18 Years) in Pakistan

Abstract

The National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) and Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA) affirms that, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), every individual below 18 years of age is a child and entitled to age-appropriate, safe, and developmentally suitable healthcare. However, in many health facilities across Pakistan, adolescents—particularly boys aged 14–17—are routinely admitted to adult wards rather than pediatric units. This practice arises largely from concerns about privacy and safety of female patients and accompanying mothers in pediatric wards.
NCRC and PPA recognizes that this long-standing approach is clinically inappropriate, detrimental to adolescent well-being and aligned with child rights principals including best interest of the child.