A social marketing organisation, Deep K Tyagi International, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has given out seed stock of 10,000 units of intrauterine devices to the Ebonyi state Ministry of Health.
The intrauterine devices, worth over N10 million, were given in support of family planning services in the state.
The equipment was handed over to the State during the official opening of a five-day capacity building workshop for over 40 nurses selected from the 13 local government areas of the state.
The training was held between September 9 and 13 in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
It was focused on modern family planning methods and management, with specific attention on Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives.
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Speaking on the essence of the training, a Director and Head of Reproductive Health Unit in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Sir Lawrence Chinedu Anyanwu, explained that it was to strengthen the National Family Planning Programme of the Federal Government, which is aimed at ensuring that Nigerians of reproductive age access quality and affordable family planning services.
He explained that the Federal Ministry of Health is working with a number of organisations, both local and international, to achieve the goal of the programme, adding that the Ministry is collaborating with DKT Nigeria.
Sir Anyanwu noted that the trainees would be certified after due mentorship and successful practice to be monitored by the master trainers.
He emphasised: “The issue here is to ensure that Nigeria women are supported to achieve pregnancy when it is really intended, and by doing this, families are enabled to have the number of children they desire, and spaced out as appropriate for the health of the woman, the husband, children and for the overall wellbeing of the entire family and the Nigeria society.”
Senior Hospital Sales/Clinical Manger, Sarah Odeniran, and her colleague, a Clinical Services specialist for DKT, Faustina Ekunlare, in separate interactions with newsmen explained that the training was in support of the task sharing policy of the Federal Ministry of Health, which entails capacity building to raise the technical skills and knowledge of the health workers on the applicable modern methods to drive more uptake of family planning in the state.
They stated that the seed stock given to the state was part of DKT’s contributions in the collaboration to further improve uptake of family planning services in the state, adding that eleven States were earmarked for the activity.
Odeniran added: “We will also follow up with mentorship programme and recruitment of community mobilisers in order to also improve uptake of family planning services in the state.”
Receiving the items on behalf of the State Government while declaring open the workshop, the State Commissioner for Health, Moses Ekuma, described family planning as one of the key impact interventions that save lives and reduce maternal and child mortality.
He noted that the training and the devices were a welcome development because of the need for a multifaceted response to change the unacceptable negative family planning indicators in the state.
Ekuma stated: “The State currently has Contraceptive (CPR) of 7.4% and mCPR of 7%.
“In fact, it is disheartening to note that 80 percent of married/in-union women of reproductive age, 15 to 49 years, are currently not using contraception in the midst of the state having the fertility rate of 5.8 percent, highest in south east geo-political zone, and having teenage pregnancy rate of 22.5 percent, which is also highest in the South East geopolitical zone as well as a high rate of unmet needs for family planning of 23 percent, equally highest in the South East.
“It is for this reason that we are most grateful to DKT, the funder of this project, for bringing this capacity building especially for nurses in Primary Health Centres who are responsible for direct family planning services provision to our communities.”
Ekuma maintained that the present administration in the state, under Governor Francis Nwifuru, has invested much in the health sector of the state in terms of manpower, infrastructure and equipment, noting that maternal and child mortality has been reduced significantly.
The Commissioner noted that the state government through the Ministry of Health has created a budget line specifically for family planning services, assuring that the training initiative would continue to be sustained by the government.
He appreciated DKT Nigeria for the IUDs as well as the provision of 72 units of Implanon, 100 units of Levoplant and 50 units of Mirena for practicals.
Some of the trainees, including Kalu Ogbonnaya and Susan Eze, appreciated the organisers of the training, saying it has opened their eyes to more knowledge than they had before, especially on the introduction of the new method of implant which is long acting and also reversible.
While Ogbonnaya observed that family planning was no longer a female affair, he encouraged Husbands to get more involved for the general good of the family.
Susan Eze observed that family planning awareness and uptake in some facilities in the state have improved, but identified certain traditional, cultural beliefs and ignorance as major factors inhibiting the uptake of the services.
