The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has disclosed that the government was working to achieve a National Family Planning (FP) target of 27% by 2030.
Ehanire made the disclosure at the Launch Of Nigeria’s FP2030 Commitement and Other Reproductive Health Policy Documents in Abuja, on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.
TheFact Nigeria gathered that the high rate of poverty, insecurity and out-of-school in the country indicates that government intervention in family planning services was long overdue
Ehanire noted that 100 women die daily from child birth complications in Nigeria making it the country with the highest maternal -newborn mortality rate in Africa, and second worst in the world. This, he said could be prevented through child spacing, and adequate education about family planning.
Elaborating government’s plan towards stemming the tide of population explosion and maternal -newborn mortality, he said:
“Our Aspiration is to ensure universal access to Healthcare, including sexual and reproductive healthcare services which is necessary for family planning.
“The realisation of this aspiration requires building on the gains recorded under the millennium development goals and the FP2020 initiative.
“The vision statement of FP2030 Commitement reads that by the end of 2030, Nigeria envisions a country were everyone including adolescents, young people and other vulnerable population are able to make informed choices, get equitable and affordable access to family planning, and participate as equals in Society development”, Ehanire said.
The Health Boss stated that the journey would not be easy, it would require time, efforts and resource. Nonetheless, any investment made would result in significant savings in the future in terms of averted unintended pregnancies, abortions, averted maternal and infant mortality, sexually transmitted infectious including HIV/AIDS.
Speaking further, he said the Federal Ministry of Health ensured an inclusive participation of stakeholders including the participation of government ministries and agencies at both national and sub national levels, also the involvement of Civil Society Organisations and youth led NGOs, as well as development Partners. He added that Interactive sessions and meetings were held, leading to the drafting and validation of our country’s FP2030.
Ehanire said the responsibility and obligation in addressing various interests as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights of various segments of the population were considered and outlined in the commitement document, “therefore, this commitement document belongs to all of us”, he noted.
Concluding his remarks, the Health Czar said: “the vision statement and Commitement objective represents our collective resolve as a people determined to change the negative narrative, from negative to positive indices around our reproductive, maternal and new born indices”.
Minister of Women Affairs, Dame PaulineTallen in her remarks called for collaboration between commissioners of health and those or women affairs in the states, if significant progress was to be made.
She added that the health of the mother and child were very important to the nation, stating that women go through life threatening situations at child birth which arise from complications, hence the need for education on family planning.
“We must value the lives of mothers, planning and child spacing will help save women’s lives”, Tallen said.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative, Ulla Mueller posited that Family Planning was the vaccine for maternal mortality and there was need for the government to show commitement to the implementation of family planning target stating that the commitement should reflect in its budget.
Other dignitaries at the Launch includes: Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora (Represented by the Director, Family Health, Federal Ministry of health, Dr. Salma Anas, Chairman, Commissioner of Health Forum, Dr. Betta Edu, Cordinator, Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), Dr. Aminu Magashi, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mahmuda Mamman (represented by the Director, Hospital Services, Dr. Adebiyi), Representative of the National Primary Health development agency (NPHCDA), Chairman, National Population Commission, Nasir Isa Kwarra (represented by Dr. Ismail Suleiman), Representative of the USAid, among others.
