Only 171 out of 808 public health facilities provide FP services in Nasarawa – NGOs
NAN-HG-5
Facilities
By Awayi Kuje
Lafia, May 10, 2017 (NAN) Pathfinder International Nigeria and Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH), NGOs, have said that only 171 out of 808 public health facilities were providing Family Planning (FP) services in Nasarawa State.
Dr Yemi Osanyin, Pathfinder Consultant, made this known on Wednesday in Lafia during a one-day dissemination of the findings of Family Planning Situation Analysis in the state, organised by the group in collaboration with the state government.
He explained that the aim of the workshop was to present a draft report on the FP situation in the state with the view of encouraging women and girls to embrace FP programmes, considering its enormous benefits.
Osanyin identified ignorance/lack of knowledge, cultural and religious beliefs, funding, political will and inaccessibility as the major factors affecting FP, hence the need for the partnership.
“The NGO entered into partnership with Nasarawa state government on family planning to reduce maternal mortality in the state.
“Only 171 out of 808 public health facilities (21%) in the state are providing Family Planning services and mostly short term methods as only 66 of 292 private health facilities are providing family planning services actively,’’ he said.
Osanyin urged the state government to give FP programmes the needed priority through adequate funding, and ensure that FP contraceptives and other services are available in public facilities.
“What we are doing today is to disseminate findings of the Family Planning Situation Analysis in Nasarawa state, that is a cost implementation plan of the state, how do we support women to have safe delivery and to know when the next pregnancy will come.
“Because the importance of family planning cannot be over-emphasised, it strengthens the health of the woman directly and the man indirectly as it enables the woman rests adequately in-between pregnancies and child delivery, and makes significant contributions to reduced maternal mortality.
“It enables the couple prepare adequately for next pregnancy and children, and enables sexually active women and girls to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies.
“There is the need to remove barriers in access by women and girls and to redouble efforts in the procurement of family planning contraceptive commodities for effective service delivery,” he said.
Also speaking, Mrs Aanu Rotimi, of PACFaH also urged women to embrace FP programmes, as it would stop women and girls from having unwanted pregnancy.
Rotimi also called on the state government to take full ownership by giving FP programmes the necessary supports in term of funding and financing.
She restated the commitment of the organisations to continue to educate women and the people on the need to embrace FP in the interest of their health and for the overall development of the country.
Dr Madawa Absalom, the Director, state Primary Health Care Development Agency, had earlier said that the state government has invested so much in the health sector to better the health of people of the state.
Absalom also said that the state government was ready to partner with any organisation to improve on the health status of its citizenry, since a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.
The workshop was attended by the State House of Assembly Committee members on Health, and health experts, among other stakeholders and policy makers in the state. (NAN)
AKW/OIF/MST
Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Muhammad Suleiman Tola