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.
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.
