By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
Stakeholders have called on government at all levels to increase their counter part funding on Family planning to boost the national development.
Pharm. Ugochukwu Alex, Deputy Director Family planning Logistics representing the Head of Reproductive Health of the Federal Ministry of Health in his keynote address made this appeal today at a One- Day Seminar titled “Re- Echo Voices for Family Planning Funding and Need to make Maternal Health Services Free” organized by the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists, ANHEJ, in Abuja.
The ANHEJ Family planning summit was supported by the partnership of Advocacy in Child and Family Health at Scale(PACFaH@Scale), anchored by Development Research and Projects Centre( dRPC).
Pharm. Alex stated that the Federal Government is making effort to ensure Family planning services is available for improvec maternal health in Nigeria, adding that the health ministry is currently procuring Family planning products for 280 million people.
He urged that incoming politicians must be informed to keep faith with the country’s commitment to sustained increase in use of contraceptives by Nigerians of reproductive age across the country. |
He said that the Family Planning Summit organized by the ANHEJ tagged “Re-echoing Voices for Family Planning Funding and need to make Maternal Health Services Free by incoming Political Leaders”, is a necessary step towards getting the about-to-be-elected political actors to be properly informed with the country’s commitment towards sustained increase in use of contraceptives by Nigerians of reproductive age across the country.
According to Pharm. Alex,family planning is globally recognized as an important strategy/intervention for the prevention of maternal morbidity and mortality.
“It has also been used by many nations to achieve remarkable socio-economic growth and development, adding that Nigeria is toeing same part by incorporating FP as a key component in the National Policy on Population for Sustainable development.
Professor Oladapo Ladipo, President of Association for the Advancement of Family Planning ARFH, while speaking on ” Making Maternal Health Services Free , How States can Make it Work”, said that commitment at all government levels is very important for maternal health.
Professor Ladipo stated that women are going through psychological process to make sure the next generation comes, so it is not too much for government to provide for them.
Also, Chairman of the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning, Dr. Ejike Orji, said that for transformation in health, family planning could have a transformative effect.
Jn Family Planning for every $1 invested you get $6 , this Dr. Orji explained is what every government has tried to do to make sure they provide services to reduce the number of children per every woman so they would be able to take care of their children.
He noted that family planning services is also necessary to reduce fertility rate.
According to Dr. Orji, 6,511,000 women are using a modern method of contraception in Nigeria.
“As a result of contraceptive use at least 2,286,000 unintended pregnancies will be prevented , 816,000 unsafe abortions will be averted, 15,000 maternal deaths will be averted.”
The reverse will be the case if there is no family planning, but if improved, more gains will be made, he emphasized.
Director of Programmed at the PACFaH@ Scale, Dr. Stanley Ukpai expressed fear that if the current population of Nigeria is left to hit 400 million in 2050, could it be alarming as evidenced by the already bulging population.
Dr. Ukpai called on the new administration coming on board after the elections to consider how to manage the population through births control and contributions to productivity of the nation.
Dr. Ukpai explained that population management is inclusive of contribution to economic processes and productivity that will take the nation
through this recovery process.
ANHEJ President, Mallam Hassan Zaggi
said that the One Day Summit on Family Planning was organized out journalists concerns of how mothers are dying while birthing babies and pregnant women not having access to healthcare services.
” We brought together health experts to raise our voice to alert the incoming government on the magnitude of the situation because some these leaders who are seeking election may not be conversant with these troubling indices around maternal and child health.”
” It is our responsibility as the media to bring these issues to the fore so that they will understand and prepare their minds to tackle them when eventually assume office.”
“We are, therefore, calling on the incoming leaders to consider improving access to family planning commodities and making maternal health services free.”
“Pregnant women should be able to access free services when the go for routine checks in the hospital. Also, any women who goes to give birth in the hospital, should be delivered free. Children under 6 months should have access to free medical treatment in all facilities.”
Furthermore, Mallam Zaggi urged health journalists to ensure that they present these issues as it is to intimate incoming leaders of the reality of Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate estimated at 512 deaths per 100,000 live births, far from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target of 70 per 100,000 live births.
