India is the second most populous country in the world with a total population of over 1.21 billion according to the 2011 Census. Adolescents (10–19 years) constitute over one-fifth of the total population, and their number is estimated to be about 243 million. They represent a resource for the future whose potential needs to be nurtured in a positive manner. The adolescents are considered to be healthy as a group; however, they do have a range of health problems that cause a lot of morbidity as well as mortality. In spite of specific health problems, it is a common observation that the existing health services do not cater to the specific problems of adolescents. Moreover, it is a challenge for the health sector to respond to their needs adequately by offering services in a friendly manner in a non-threatening environment. In this chapter, an attempt has been made to discuss the health needs of adolescents, the status of existing adolescent friendly health services and the manner in which these services can be made available to adolescents so that these can be adequately utilised by them.
