NAN-HG-8
Planning
By Vivian Ihechu
Lagos, July 4, 2017 (NAN) Some family planning stakeholders on Tuesday said indicators have shown that there was a rise in the family planning uptake in Somolu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos.
They spoke at a Town Hall Meeting on Family Planning organised by an NGO, Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative 2 (NURHI 2), in Lagos.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia defines Family planning as the practice of controlling the number of children in a family and the intervals between their births.
Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says, “Family planning allows people to attain their desired number of children and determine the spacing of pregnancies.
“It is achieved through use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of infertility (this fact sheet focuses on contraception).’’
Mrs Soremikun Olanike, the Family Planning and Reproductive Health Manager in Somolu, said:“ Population growth is one of the key factors considered while addressing major issues such as maternal and child health, climate change and hunger.
“Higher birth rates have an impact on a sustainable future, as well as impact on the lives of mothers and their children.
“As such, the state is putting in place all measures with relevant stakeholders to slow the rate of population in the state, as well as reduce the rate of maternal deaths.’’
According to her, in Somolu LCDA, the family planning uptake is on the rise because there is increase in the number of people that come to access family planning methods.
“In most of the PHCs, an average of 16 new acceptors used to come to access one method or the other; but now, the rise has been as much as 40 to 50 people.
“There is more awareness and this is why we started this programme for different stakeholders to educate the community.
“Most of these stakeholders have daughters, in-laws, neighbours and people in the community that really need this service and information.
“They are decision and opinion makers; they are to go into the communities and serve as `ambassadors’ for this cause.
“These `ambassadors’ are introduced to each of the methods and we explain how they work, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.
“We expect that having been equipped with these information, they will go to their communities and encourage their people to use a family planning method because the benefits are enormous,’’ Soremikun said.
Also, Dr Ajoke Ashiru, the Chairperson, Inter-faith Coalition Group, NURHI 2, said: “We have noticed that Lagos has the highest maternal mortality rate, even higher than the Nigeria statistics.
“It has 555 per 100,000 live births; as a result, the NURHI 2 project is targeting the women in the childbearing age that is 15-49 years.
“These people are being sensitised on the need to use a family planning method to reduce the high maternal mortality indices.
“Hence, the need to also go through leaders including traditional leaders, religious leaders and even the market leaders.
“The information they have, they can pass to their members, because they play important role in policy and decision making and we believe in them.’’
Ashiru, who is also President, Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), urged religious leaders to talk about Family Planning, also called Child Birth Spacing, in their sermons.
According to her, some of the benefits of Child Birth Spacing include allowing a woman to recover fully from her previous pregnancy, delivery and creating bonding between parents and children.
She said that it also gives time for families to grow financially, thereby paving way for a healthy family and nation.
In his remarks, Dr Edun Omasanjuwa, the State Team Leader for NURHI 2 Lagos, said: “The definition of Family Planning is all encompassing.
According to him, it goes beyond using contraceptives; it is more about how you plan your entire family from the start to end.
“Family Planning empowers you to take a decision about your children, whether you want to have children; how many children you want to have and when do you want to have them.
“It includes the spacing in between your children, how you want to take care of these children, their education, their welfare and nutrition.
“It is not just about a woman walking into a facility and taking a drug to prevent or delay pregnancy; it is how you plan your family to have a better standard of living,’’ Omasanjuwa said. (NAN)
VIV/AOM/GOK
Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Olagoke Olatoye
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