TCI Urges Akwa Ibom Government to Deepen Investment in Family Planning
By Ekemini Simon
A nongovernmental organisation, The Challenge Initiative (TCI) has called on the government of Akwa Ibom State to deepen its investment on Family Planning (FP) thus improving child and maternal health in the State.
The call was made on Wednesday when the team from The Challenge Initiative paid a courtesy call on the leadership of the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health in Uyo.
During the visit, the TCI Team made a presentation to show the widening gap of family planning uptake in the State due to unmet needs occasioned by prevalent myths, capacity building gaps, unavailability of consumables needed to administer family planning commodities, frequent stock out of commodities, lack of FP services at secondary healthcare, reporting gaps especially from private facilities among others.
While comparing States in Nigeria, the presentation showed that Akwa Ibom State is lagging behind in family planning services.
In her remarks, the Director of The Challenge Initiative, Dr. Taiwo Johnson commended the government of Akwa Ibom State for giving TCI the enabling environment to support maternal healthcare in the State.
While noting that the organisation is already in its third year, Johnson said Akwa Ibom State is among the 10 States TCI is currently supporting but will soon reduce its support so that the State can take ownership of its established systems that support maternal health.
Dr Johnson said that maternal health requires informed choices, timely access to family planning, and a community that supports women at every stage of their reproductive journey.
She said for the State to support maternal health, there is a need for the State Government to ensure domestic resource mobilization by either purchasing the relevant family planning commodities or contributing to the Family Planning National Basket Fund.
Johnson urged the Akwa Ibom Government to scale up community driven social and behavioral change communication interventions and scale up proven high impact FP intervention, demand generation, and increase accessibility.
In response, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem Emmanuel noted that he has passion for maternal health especially as that resonates with his speciality of Obstetrics and gynecology coupled with family planning work he used to carry out while working in the civic space hence the ministry under his watch will be well positioned to support maternal health.
While applauding TCI for the support to the State, the Commissioner said the State government has set up a health insurance scheme hence available to be explored by those who require family planning services.
Emmanuel promised that the government will take more responsibility in the supply of consumables required for the administration of family planning commodities adding that the ministry has also designed a strategy that will ensure private hospitals provide the State government with relevant data on family planning services and beyond.
He assured that the government will set up a clinic skill laboratory for skill acquisition that will aid medical professionals to provide a variety of specialized services including family planning.
While noting that the ministry is rightly disposed for deepened partnership and synergy, the Commissioner noted that the Ministry will give deep thoughts on how the government can mobilize more resources for enhanced family planning services.
” We want to assure you that we have noted your observations and we will endeavour to address them. It may not be immediate. However, we need to encourage people to start with the health insurance scheme that is available to be explored”, Emmanuel added.