Andhra Pradesh launches digital health portal for adolescents

The Andhra Pradesh government has launched a dedicated digital health portal, ‘APS HWP’ (apshwp.ap.gov.in) for adolescents aged 13–19, under the Andhra Pradesh School Health and Wellness Programme, marking a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.

State Medical and Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav said the portal is developed in line with the vision of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to strengthen preventive health awareness among students. He said the portal enables self-learning through e-modules on key topics such as personal hygiene, mental health, physical changes, gender equality, HIV awareness, substance abuse prevention, road safety, nutrition, healthy relationships and safe use of the internet and social media. “The content is presented through short videos of less than 15 minutes in Telugu and English, along with game-based learning, quizzes, and online tests, with certificates issued to students scoring 80% or above,” he explained.

Developed as part of the State Adolescent Health Programme under a Digital Learning Management System, the portal is supported by training programmes for teachers and lecturers in government high schools and junior colleges, with about 150 educators being trained in each district, said the Minister.

Health and Family Welfare Commissioner Veerapandian said the portal provides reliable and scientifically validated information to prevent students from being misled by unverified sources on media and social platforms.

So far, over 36,000 students have registered, with 75% of them girls. The platform was developed through coordination among multiple agencies, including the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, AIDS Control Society, UNICEF, Education department, Women and Child Welfare department, and AIIMS Mangalagiri. The portal also includes information on child and mental health helplines.