The development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), the Kano state government, and the Kaduna state government have disclosed that domestic Family planning financing is a necessary intervention to improve maternal health and reduce maternal mortality in their states.
The meeting, which was held at the side of the ongoing 57th annual national conference of the Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetrics in Kano with the theme ‘The tragedy of maternal death in Nigeria: Our collective responsibility, had the health commissioners from the states in attendance.
In his presentation, Kano State Commissioner of Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, represented by Professor Salisu Ahmed Ibrahim, the Director General of Kano State Private Health Institutions Management Agency, said the state has just concluded plans to secure FP commodities as part of its efforts to reduce maternal mortality through child spacing.
He said that although FP is not the single path for ensuring maternal health, the Kano state government is determined to invest in maternal health through all available paths, including family planning, adequate human resources for health, and improved funding.
‘’We are passionate about maternal health and safe delivery of all pregnant women in all the 44 LGs, and in all the 1234 PHCs, 80 secondary health facilities, and 956 facilities offering FP in Kano state. Capacity building is a priority, and FP supplies to close the gap from the shortages from the federal government’s supply mechanism’’ He added.
The Commissioner then explained that N200m has been approved for FP funding as well as N3bn for the procurement of essential drugs to ensure adequate and effective healthcare delivery in the state, adding that the state government is engaging Islamic scholars to include the benefits of child spacing in their sermons as part of efforts to create awareness about the need for an efficient population for growth and development of the state.
While thanking the development Research and Projects Centre for organising the meeting, the Commissioner added that FP services have already been included in the state’s drug revolving scheme.
In her presentation at the meeting, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma Khaltume Ahmed represented by Dr Salimatu Ahmed disclosed that the state has approached the federal government to enable Kaduna state to contribute to the FP basket for the procurement of commodities as part of its efforts to tackle increasing cases of maternal mortality in the state.
She disclosed that the state government is working with community volunteers to mobilise parents and spouses to reduce maternal deaths through adopting family planning methods, adding that a campaign for adolescent married women has increased FP services by 40% amongst them.
‘’ This campaign is yielding results as over 100,000 adolescent married youths, who are aged 15-19 have been mobilized and sent back to school as a complementary strategy to delay pregnancies and improve their health’ She added
