Nigeria Needs 30% Users Of Self-Care Interventions To Boost Sexual Reproductive Services

Dr. Sakina Amin-Bello, Senior Programme Advisor, Reproductive Health and Family Planning, Pathfinder International, Nigeria; Bayo Ewuola, Media and Communication Officer, Pathfinder International, Nigeria, and other participants at a media training tagged, ‘Orientation on the National Guidelines on Self-Care For Sexual Reproductive and Maternal Health,’  organised by Pathfinder International, Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria, Marie Stopes Nigeria, and other development partners in Abuja, recently.

A rapid, safe, and effective uptake of self-care interventions by up to 30 percent of potential users is critical to boost progress towards universal coverage of sexual reproductive and maternal healthcare services by 2050.

Pathfinder International, Nigeria, and other stakeholders recently stated the importance of defining self-care instructions to enhance maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) as well as sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.

According to them, creating and promoting an enabling environment for the practice of self-care will strengthen the people-centred approach to health and well-being in the country.

The stakeholders spoke at a media training, tagged, ‘Orientation on the National Guidelines on Self-Care For Sexual Reproductive and Maternal Health,’ which was held in Abuja, noting that self-care service aligns with the Universal Health Coverage.

Nigeria has been implementing self-care interventions for a while. Nigeria is currently implementing self-injectable DMPA sub-cutaneous, HIV self-testing, HPV self-sampling (in pilot stages), home-based ovulation predictor kits, and over-the-counter oral contraceptives.

However, they noted, that the country is facing several sexual and reproductive health(SRH) as well as maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) challenges, especially among its vulnerable population.

Other challenges in the country are limited capacity and resources in antenatal care, providing quality services for family planning, unintended pregnancy, and unsafe abortion. The rest are combating sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, cervical cancer, and other gynecological morbidities.

They noted that improved awareness and operational and service-delivery issues need to be addressed to promote and increase safe, equitable access, uptake, and the use of self-care intervention for advancing SRH and MNCH.

This means leveraging reviews on demand generation and social and behavioural change to ensure that health information on self-care is available, accessible, tailored to individuals' needs, and acceptable to potential users and communities.

Elaborating, Dr. Amina Dorayi, Country Director, Pathfinder International, Nigeria,  stressed on the need for the media to create awareness about the standardised guidelines on self-care for sexual reproductive and maternal health, among others.

She also said that media orientation would empower participants to write stories on self-care interventions which would create an enabling environment that would promote people-centred approaches to health and well-being.

Pathfinder International is a global non-profit organisation that focuses on sexual and reproductive health and rights, including reproductive health, family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, and maternal and newborn health.

Increasing Access To SRH, Family Planning Services Through Self-Care

Dorayi, represented by Dr Sakina Amin-Bello, Senior Programme Advisor, Reproductive Health and Family Planning,  urged the media to advocate the practice of self-care interventions as a method of boosting access to healthcare services delivery among women.

According to her, understanding and adopting self-care interventions would enable women to enjoy immediate healthcare services, including family planning, SRH, and MNCH among others.

The country director, further reiterated her organisation’s commitment to self-care interventions, maintaining that it aligns with the goals of Universal Health Coverage.

According to her, self-care will reduce unnecessary overdependence on health facilities for services that individuals or families could provide for themselves.

"It is an integral and complementary component of the overall healthcare system. The benefits of self-care practices to the healthcare system are enormous such as reduced workload on healthcare workers and increased access to sexual and reproductive health services in a safe and private space. It leverages innovations and digital platforms to provide access to deliver safe and appropriate healthcare services.”

Contributing, Mrs. Remi Bajomo, Director, VVF and Reproductive Health, Ministry of Health, defined Self-care as the ability of the individual to promote health and maintain health with or without the healthcare provider.

Bajomo also affirmed the commitment of the ministry to promoting self-care aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage with monitoring and Evaluation.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), self-care is the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health. It is also the ability to prevent diseases, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.

The overall goal is to accelerate progress towards achieving universal coverage of sexual reproductive and maternal healthcare services through rapid, safe, and effective uptake of self-care interventions by 30 percent of potential users by the year 2050.

Mrs. Remi Bajomo, Director, VVF and Reproductive Health, Ministry of Health, speaking at the media training tagged, ‘Orientation on the National Guidelines on Self-Care For Sexual Reproductive and Maternal Health,’  organised by Pathfinder International, Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria, Marie Stopes Nigeria, and other development partners in Abuja, recently.

Collaborating, Bajomo, said the media is to showcase the efforts of various stakeholders including healthcare professionals, policymakers, and community influencers as they come together to implement the national self-care.

To achieve this goal, the Director, VVF and Reproductive Health, Ministry of Health, said that a well-defined strategic objective and a costed implementation plan were developed.  The strategies propose concrete interventions across six thematic areas: Demand generation and Social Behaviour Change (SBC), service delivery; supply of products; supervision, monitoring and data management, advocacy and financing; and coordination and regulation.

In a presentation, Dr. Femi James, Technical Officer, WHO Reproductive Maternal New Born Child Adolescent and Elderly Health (RMNCAEH), explained that self-care provides an opportunity to reduce barriers to access to health facilities.

Self-Care Is Not Self-Medication

James clarified the difference between self-care and self-medication. He said, “When we say self-care, what normally comes to mind is the health system. When somebody is adopting self-care, there is a part that needs to be played by the health worker and the healthcare system to see that the person is doing this correctly so that things don’t become bad.

“Self-care does not mean you run away from seeing the doctor and become your own doctor. That is dangerous. The aim of self-care is to see that the person can take certain actions at home by herself under the guidance of the facility without having to travel to the health facility every time. When the person is doing that at home, that is self-care. There is support from the facility,” he added.

“At the community level, we have community pharmacists. We have access to reproductive health services which will help improve the well-being of women and girls,” James noted.

Jennifer Adebambo, Country Programmes & Advocacy Manager at White Ribbon Alliance, noted that her organisation is of the opinion that self-care is the path to achieving Universal Health Coverage.

Jennifer Adebambo, Country Programmes & Advocacy Manager at White Ribbon Alliance,  speaking at the media training tagged, ‘Orientation on the National Guidelines on Self-Care For Sexual Reproductive and Maternal Health,’  organised by Pathfinder International, Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria, Marie Stopes Nigeria, and other development partners in Abuja, recently.

Adebambo explained that self-care is undoubtedly an innovative approach that plays a vital role in fostering equitable access to health services and promoting autonomy, personal growth, resilience, and happiness.

Media’s Role In Spreading Information About Self-Care

According to her, prioritising self-care would enhance good healthcare, as well as create an environment where people can thrive, grow and live a satisfying life.

She elaborated, “At White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria, we strongly believe that the key to achieving Universal Health Coverage begins with Self-care. Hence, we are happy to join forces with the Media Agencies of Nigeria and partners to continue to explore innovative and concrete ways to promote Self-Care across the Country.

“We know that while communication is a useful tool for passing information, it carries a more solemn ability to be able to change the life of the hearers and help them become agents of change.

“It is our belief that at the end of today’s meeting, the media agencies will not only be adequately informed on self-care but also become advocates who can provide the platforms for the promotion and expansion of self-care and its commodities.

“Self-care is undoubtedly an innovative approach that plays a vital role in fostering equitable access to health services, promoting autonomy and agency of people, personal growth, resilience, and happiness. And by prioritising self-care, we are not only enhancing our own lives but also creating an environment where people can thrive, grow and live a satisfying life,” she added.

Stressing the role of the media in advocating self-care in health services, Adebambo urged journalists to disseminate information and raise awareness about self-care practices. She also tasked the media with success stories and testimonials to inspire individuals to adopt self-care as part of their routine.

“The role of the media is to provide accurate and evidence-based information on self-care techniques, benefits, and potential risks; Promote health literacy and empower individuals to make informed decisions about their own health strengthen self-care programmes and policies.

“The media should collaborate with other stakeholders, including NGOs, government agencies, and healthcare professionals, to amplify the self-care message and reach a wider audience. Foster partnerships to create engaging and informative content on self-care,” she added.

Mopelola Raji, Deputy Team Lead, Delivering Innovations in Self‑Care (DISC) Project,   speaking at the media training tagged, ‘Orientation on the National Guidelines on Self-Care For Sexual Reproductive and Maternal Health,’  organised by Pathfinder International, Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria, Marie Stopes Nigeria, and other development partners in Abuja, recently.

Contributing, Mopelola Raji, Deputy Team Lead, Delivering Innovations in Self‑Care (DISC) Project said that DISC is a five-year, CIFF-funded project launched in early 2020 in Uganda, Nigeria, and in Malawi (2022)

 According to Raji, Delivering Innovations in Self‑Care projects is implemented in Nigeria by the Society for Family Health (SFH), with the support of Population Services International (PSI).

 She said further, “DISC is implemented in 15 states across Nigeria. The objective is to scale up the quality of self-care options in SRH, starting with DMPASC self-injection.

 “More broadly, DISC aims to spark a self-care movement across Sub-Saharan Africa that will grant women and other beneficiaries more autonomy and control over their healthcare decisions.

Caleb Aromeh,  Program Manager, MSI Nigeria,   speaking at the media training tagged, ‘Orientation on the National Guidelines on Self-Care For Sexual Reproductive and Maternal Health,’  organised by Pathfinder International, Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria, Marie Stopes Nigeria, and other development partners in Abuja, recently.

Caleb Aromeh,  Program Manager, MSI Nigeria commended the effort of the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and development partners like Pathfinder International for creating opportunities for access to self-care.

“We believe self-care offers an important and exciting opportunity to ensure access to life-saving sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services for all people. This aligns with our vision of a world in which every birth is wanted,” Aromeh noted.