By
Worried
by the growing maternal mortality rate in Nigeria, a medical doctor, Habeeb
Salami of Pathfinder International has advocated investment in family planning,
saying it will reduce the rate of women’s death by 30 per cent.
Dr.
Salami said, 576 Nigerian women dies out of per 100,000 women’s death due to
pregnancy and child birth issues yearly, even as he noted that “pregnancy and
child birth are natural process that should not take any life.
“That
is why family planning is important. It gives the woman time to rest properly
from child birth before the next pregnancy,” he stressed.
Dr.
Salami also noted that family planning will save the lives of 111 women who die
daily following pregnancy and child-birth related issues.
Salami
who was addressing journalists in Lagos at a media stakeholders engagement
meeting, said that the alarming figure of 111 women dying daily from pregnancy
related issues can be blamed on five major causes of maternal mortality.
This includes; hemorrhage, hypertension, infection, abortion
complications and obstructed labour.
The family planning and reproductive expert further urged women
to embrace family planning so as to stay alive.
“My advice is for women to embrace family planning so as to stay
alive.”
He further expressed fears over Nigeria’s readiness to meet to
meet the target of 27 percent of Modern Contraceptive Prevalent Rate, (MCPR) by
2020.
Dr. Salami reasoned that the Federal government will have to
work with the state and local government to secure complimentary budgets for
family planning and reproductive health service delivery as well as meet the
MCPR by 2020.
Salami said; “In order for Nigeria to meet the target of 27 per
cent of Modern Contraceptive Prevalent Rate, (MCPR) by 2020, the Federal
government will have to work with the state and local government to secure
complimentary budgets for family planning and reproductive health service
delivery.”
According to him, the partnership which the Federal government
can adopt to improve the lives of women of reproductive age would involve
private sector, civil society, traditional and religious institutions as well
as development partners.
He therefore, urged the media to influence and make political
policy, legal and community environments more suitable for family planning.
Dr. Salami, Assistant Director for Reproductive Health &
Family Planning at the Pathfinder International, described the current CPR in
the country as very low, bemoaning that this has been increasing unintended
pregnancies, often resulting in unsafe abortions.
The Federal Government has intensified the campaign to increase
uptake of FP with the formulation of the new policy to increase the CPR to 36
per cent by 2030.
The goal is to improve the CPR uptake with a view to tackle
unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions
Dr. Salami who is a medical doctor with a specialisation in
obstetrics and gynaecology, blamed many state governments for stock out of
contraceptive commodities, adding that their lack of commitments to making FP
commodities available all year round was at the centre of the problem.
According
to him, although, the Federal Government has paid for FP commodities, imported
them and stored same at the Central Stores in Oshodi, Lagos, the failure of
some state governments to transport the products to their states and point of
delivery ultimately creates scarcity of same products that sometimes waste away
at the Central Stores.
Dr.
Salami said; “Federal Government procurers all FP commodities and
sends them to the Central Stores; the state governments don’t pay.
“It’s
so bad that when the Federal Government procures and sends them to the Central
Stores in Lagos, a lot of states have difficulties in picking them up from
Lagos.
“The
Federal Government goes the extra mile to send these products to State
warehouses; yet, there are still challenges from the States to get these
commodities from the State warehouses to the health facilities where they are
needed.
The
Assistant Director for Reproductive Health & Family Planning explained;
“The Federal Government and its partners are still working on getting those
commodities to facilities where they will be used
“The
Federal Government has done so much that the states need to complement those
efforts.
“Based
on the Federal Government procurement, FP commodities in all states should be
free. What a client that needs them is expected to do is simply walk
into a FP clinic, discuss with the provider, agree on a method, they give it to
the fellow and the person walks away.”
“However,
the set back is that the states are not able to buy consumables including,
cotton wools, gloves, all of which the providers need to deliver the services.
“These
are the things that should be available which the states need to fund so as to ensure
that FP services are provided free,” he added
Dr.
Salami painted a picture of how citizens are denied the contraceptives which
the Federal Government has provided free.
He
lamented that when people who need FP services arrive to access them, FP commodities
are available, but consumables are lacking and they are told to pay for the
consumables which may be as little as N200.
“A
lot of women can’t still afford the N200; so, they walk away.”
Based
on what plays out afterwards, Dr. Salami said, “The next time you see these
women they are pregnant, not because they want to be pregnant.”
However,
some factors hinder these group of women from uptaking FP services , he said,
stressing that it is stock out which is either occasioned by non-availability
of FP commodities in facilities where they are needed and lack of consumables.
Another
factor hindering uptake of FP commodities is financial barrier, he added.
Presently,
the Lagos State Government is executing a policy that targets the achievement
of 70 per cent CPR in its domain.
Confirming
that Lagos state is trying to earmark some money for consumables, he said, “but
it is not enough.”
He
observed that there is need for budgets on consumables by local government
councils and Primary Health Care Wards in Lagos state, adding that this will
ensure that there is no out-of-stock.
Giving
an insight on the advocacy work carried out in Lagos State, Mr Chibuike Amaechi
of Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative, ( PHSAI) said that the
organisations aim is to increase access to family planning services and
commodities in public as well as private hospitals in the State.
Amaechi
urged the State government to provide family planning consumables which
includes; syringe, plasta, cotton wool, methylated spirits to health centres as
these are the barriers behind the uptake of family planning commodities.
