Recession Forcing People To Embrace Child Spacing – Planned Parenthood

0
435

By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON

Regional Director, North-West Zone, Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, (PPFN); Elizabeth Joe has said due to economic situation in Nigeria, people are beginning to accept family planning.

She made the disclosure while addressing the media at the commencement of a 3-Day Free Integrated Outreach programme for women of reproductive age, at Unguwar Muazu, Kaduna South Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
The Regional Director, North-West zone, said PPFN is experiencing an upsurge of people beginning to embrace family planning or child spacing due to the economic downturn in the country; as attested to by the large turnout of beneficiaries at the project kick off on Tuesday.
Mrs. Elizabeth Joe, said the outreach is a routine project of PPFN to communities and is targeted to reach out to women that don’t have opportunity to access the services elsewhere; noting that these outreaches are normally organized in various places but this time around it is happening in Anguwar Muazu, Kaduna.
Speaking further, Mrs. Joe said PPFN normally go out to meet with clients as they do not come to access their facilities, but rather prefer chemists near their homes.
She added that in the process of going out to meet clients, then sensitization take place where the clients are advised for the need to visit professionals instead of chemists; adding that PPFN train health professionals on how to properly deliver on the various services it provides to clients.
“PPFN organize this outreach basically to reach out to the women that don’t have opportunity to access these services we’re providing.  This is part of its routine activities to communities.  It is normally carried out in various places; but today we decided to do it here at Anguwar Muazu.
“What PPFN intends to do at the 3-day  integrated outreach programme is to carry out free HIV/AIDS test for women, Malaria testing and treatment for children and pregnant women, free Cervical Cancer screening and also provide free drugs and Mosquito Insecticide treated Nets.  We’ll also administer free Family Planning services to the women.  There’s a new product called Sayana Press which will be provided to the women.
“This project is actually being sponsored by United Nations Population Fund.  We’re collaborating with them, they provid the funding and we’re now carrying out the project.  It’s going to be a one year project and we’ve started in Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Igabi and Chikun.  From Anguwar Muazu we’ll move to Chikun, then to Igabi to continue with the outreach.
“Because of the economic situation of the country, people are beginning to accept family planning or child spacing. We encourage the men to come along with their wives and then we explain to them the need to embrace child spacing.  They actually accompanied their wives and also allow them access the services.  So, for now the reception is good.
“I appeal to our women to visit PPFN facilities if they have any issues to clarify especially as it relates to reproductive health.  Women should not visit untrained personnel especially on family planning services to be administered on them, but should meet with professionals.  There are so many things the women needed to know as there are complications.   These are hormones that are being administered to the body.  They should visit health professionals so that this could be explained to them.
“I’m also calling on beneficiaries to come out.  For example, Cervical Cancer doesn’t show until it reaches a certain stage, but if women of productive age can come out whenever they hear of such screening it could be detected early.

“And for the outreaches the gatekeepers were involved, we communicated our intentions to them which they accepted and you can see the crowd.  The community, religious and traditional leaders were very helpful.  They sensitized the people and they came out.  Announcements were made at religious and traditional institutions – in churches and mosques, that’s why we’re witnessing this huge turnout of women,” the Regional Director said.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here