The Nation Newspaper

Tag: family planning

  • Women support family planning

    The Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) has sensitised women in five local government areas in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, on the benefits of various family planning techniques to delay pregnancies, enjoy social life and good health care.

    According to Mrs Abimbola Adedigba, a matron with one of the primary healthcare centres at Oniyanrin in Ibadan, said over 200 women register monthly for family planning.

    She said:” There are a lot of misconceptions about it, but the steady public awareness has made it recognised. Some women believe it will lead to having a swollen stomach, change in menstrual cycle while others think they won’t be able to get pregnant again. Family planning is not only for married women. Single ladies are also encouraged to adopt it because it is safer than abortion.”

    A 33-year-old mother of three, Idowu Animashaun, said the injection method of family planning has been effective and has no side effect since she started three years ago. She urged women to adopt the technique.

  • Lagos leads in family planning

    Lagos has topped the list of those that accepted modern family planning, which includes birth control, assisted reproductive technology and others.

    This is part of the report released by the Global Program to Enhance Reproductive Health Commodity Security (GPRHCS) of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), while disseminating the 2013 GPRHCS Survey Report.

    According to the Head; Lagos Liaison Office/Reproductive Health Program Specialist, UNFPA Nigeria Country Office, Dr. Omolaso Omosehin, every year, since 2001, the United Nations Population Fund supports the Federal Ministry of Health to assess facilities throughout the country on reproductive health commodities.

    The assessment, among other things helps to show an overall picture of the availability and level of stock-outs of modern contraceptive methods and essential life-saving maternal/Reproductive Health medicines at health facilities nationwide.

    The report has it that: “Some findings of 2013 survey revealed that some methods of contraceptives (especially the long acting methods) were not available in most of the primary centres; 84 per cent of the facilities sampled offers at least three modern methods of contraceptives (90 per cent for Lagos); 51 percent of facilities had stock out on the day of visit; 49.5 percent had stock out for three months preceding the visit (74.2 percent for Lagos) and 69 percent of the facilities offers at least seven of the life-saving maternal medicines (79.3 percent for Lagos). The survey parameters for last year include 84 percent of the facilities sampled were privately owned; 51 percent are primary centres, 45 percent are secondary (general hospitals) and four percent are teaching hospitals”, he stated.

    The 2013 GPRHCS Survey Report recommended general improvement in the supply at primary warehouses for re-supply; strengthen the capacity of health providers and facilities in providing longer-term/permanent contraceptive methods and to address barriers and bottlenecks in the supply chain.

  • More women adopt family planning methods

    More women in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, are now using different family planning methods while managing their families’ health and social and economic wellbeing.

    A survey of some primary healthcare centres in the city showed an appreciable increase in the number of women embracing family planning methods.

    This was made known during outreaches conducted by Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) at some markets, healthcare centres and a military barracks within five local government areas (LGAs) of the state.

    The LGAs are Ibadan North, Ibadan South East, Ibadan North West, Ibadan North East and Ibadan South West. The five local councils were targetted by NURHI because they were considered as urban slums.

    NURHI, has over the last four years, sensitised people in the five local government areas about the benefits of the health initiative.

    Some of the primary healthcare facilities visited during the outreach include the Oopeyeosa Primary Healthcare Centre, Oopoyeosa; Adifase Primary Healthcare Centre, Apata and Sango Primary Healthcare Centre, Sango.

    Other areas where the outreaches are carried out and family planning services rendered to traders are Oje, Oranyan, Ayeye, Gbagi, Dugbe, Ogunpa/Gege, Agbowo, Beere, Eleyele and Sango in the state capital.

    On the intervention of NURHI, one of its officials, Mrs Jumoke Adekogba, said the initiative, which is being sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, focuses on promoting family planning methods in reducing maternal and child mortalities in the state.

    “Apart from the area of mortalities, we also sensitise the women, including the men, of the benefits of having family planning.