FG targets 36% contraceptive rate through family planning

Posted by admin Latest Politics Thursday, July 10th, 2014

The Federal Government will promote all family planning methods to achieve a contraceptive prevalence of 36 per cent by 2018, the Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said.

The minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Linus Awute, made the statement in Abuja on Thursday at the national family planning stakeholders’ consultative meeting.

Chukwu said the theme, ‘Reducing maternal deaths in Nigeria through healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies’, was appropriate given that family planning was relevant to safe motherhood.

“In repositioning family planning, the goal and commitment of government is to achieve a contraceptive prevalence rate of 36 per cent by 2018. To achieve this goal, there is the need to aggressively promote all family planning methods so as to meet the needs of women of reproductive age,’’ he said.

Chukwu said the family planning 2020 initiative started at the global summit in London in 2012.

He said stakeholders at the summit expressed commitment to meet family planning needs of 120 million girls and women by the year 2020.

The minister said prior to the summit, the Federal Government had taken steps toward promoting unhindered access to family planning commodities and supplies.

“It has initiated the declaration of the policy on free family planning commodities and services in all public health facilities. It is backed up with annual budgetary allocation of three million dollars for the procurement of contraceptive commodities since 2011.

“This was followed up with approval of policy on task-shifting for Community Health Extension Workers to provide injectable contraceptive as well as the saving one million lives initiative,’’ he said.

Chukwu said in spite of the efforts by government, significant improvement had not been recorded in the relevant health indices over the years as shown in a number of surveys and assessments.

“There has only been slight improvement in the maternal and child health indices with maternal mortality ratio at 545 per 100,000 live births and average total fertility at 5.7.

“The contraceptive prevalence at 10 per cent for modern methods and all methods at 15 per cent while the unmet need for family planning stands at 20.2 per cent,’’ he said.

Chairman, National Reproductive Health Working Group, Prof Oladapo Ladipo, advocated compulsory and free education for the girl-child to help control population growth.

Ladipo said for the country to develop, it must involve the youth in order not to make mistakes in the future.

He said the country needed to moderate population growth to harness the access base to be able to invest in education.

“We must find a way to reach the youth and they should be well informed through the appropriate means,” he said.

He said educating the girl-child to, at least, secondary school level, should be compulsory and free.

He advocated free antenatal care and family planning at all levels.

Country Director, UN Population Fund, Mrs. Ratidzai Nahlovu, called on stakeholders on family planning to be steadfast in implementing policies.

“It is very easy for people to come up with good documents; it does not mean anything if we cannot implement it. We also need to be accountable, I mean the government, partners and the communities,’’ Nahlovu said.

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