Most couples have abandoned family planning, and this is why
By Gladys Ekwu
A health expert, Mr. Aneotah Egbe, has bemoaned the low patronage of family planning in Nigeria due to some religious and traditional beliefs that tag family planning as ungodly.
He said this in Awka, the capital city of Anambra state at a nedia roundtable on family planning held with the members of family planning committee and health stakeholders in the state.
Mr. Egbe said that instead, family planning patronage would reduce the high rate of abortion and as well help to provide healthy living in families.
He explained that one hundred and seventy four thousand, two hundred women of reproductive age are yet to meet the family planning needs in the state.
Mr. Egbe, who is the state coordinator of The Challenge Initiative (TCI) also noted that one hundred and ninety four public health facilities in Anambra state do not provide family planning services out of the six hundred and fourteen facilities in the state.
The TCI representative posited that those who had access to family planning were denied the services due to their inability to pay the service charge.
He, however, emphasized that the state was in dire need of a family planning cost implementation plan to guide health administrators to effectively plan for family planning services in the state.
Mr. Egbe said that policy makers were vital in facilitating the processes that would address and turn around the current trend within the state health system.
