Family planning; Oyo State to get separate budget in 2017

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By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, (PHCDA) Dr. Lanre Abass on has hinted that the state government is to separate budget for family planning in the state from the conventional health budget as from 2017.
Dr Abass dropped this hint in Ibadan at the annual review meeting of the Oyo State Field Office of Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) held at Kakanfo Inn.
According to the Executive Secretary, this was part of the efforts by the state government at demonstrating its commitment to family planning programmes in the state adding that Oyo being a pacesetter state would set another pace when its implementation begins
“Oyo state as a pacesetter state is setting another pace, his excellency, Senator Abiola Ajimobi as you are aware has approved the establishment of Oyo State primary healthcare development agency to ensure that primary healthcare in Oyo state is enhanced. Family planning as part of programmes this agency is overseen will have its own separate budget from 2017 and by the grace of God and this is what his excellency has approved,” he said.
Dr Abass assured that the agency will not hesitate to ensure the proper implementation and usage of the budget for the promotion of family planning programmes in the state.
“We are going to make judicious use of the money, we are not doing bad, in Nigeria, we are one of the best and we are not going to relent in our efforts”.
Speaking,the Project Director, Johns Hopkins Public Health in Nigeria Initiative (JHPHINI/NURHI), Dr. Mojisola Odeku emphasized the need for  “an urgent shift in behavior to embrace and adopt Family planning as a social norm towards the attainment of the objectives of the national family planning blueprint (Scale-Up Plan) launched in October 2014.
Speaking through the Deputy Project Director of NURHI, Mr. Olusina Olulana,Mrs Odeku declared that “the over reaching goal is to increase women’s use of FP services (CPR) to increase from 15 to 36 percent) and to contribute to the reduction of maternal mortality by 75 percent and infant mortality by 66 percent pan Nigeria by 2018.
In her remark, Oyo State Team leader of NURHI, Mrs. Stella Akinso who listed some of  the challenges facing NURHI in its crusade on family planning/child spacing added that the major challenge in Oyo state “is the unholy practices of family planning providers who are still collecting money from the clients”.
While lamenting that some family planning service providers in the state are still collecting illegal fees from clients, Mrs Akinso insisted that “Family planning service is free, no one should charge because the initiative and the government have provided the needed materials for the smooth running for the clients”.
“Service providers still collecting illegal fees from Family Planning clients. That is what we usually see on the field, we are saying that family planning service is free,”she said.
The Oyo team leader disclosed that what NURHI “is doing is to support the government to develop a blueprint to enhance family planning/child spacing in the state.
At the annual review meeting awards were presented to some individuals who have supported the organization through their careers including Mrs Jadesola Ajibola a journalist with Inspiration FM 100.5 Ibadan and Secretary Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ),who was awarded as the NURHI champion award winner
Other awardees are Dr. Abdulazeez Adeduntan; State Commissioner for Health, Mrs. H. Ogunesan Permanent Secretary in the state and Chief Olabode Olaogun CDC Chairman Egbeda Local Government Area.

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