Abia Expects Improved Maternal Health as Family Planning Uptake Rises

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo

Health experts and stakeholders are expecting a remarkable improvement in the quality of maternal health in Abia State following an exponential rise in the uptake of family planning methods and commodities.

The new development has put health experts, development partners and the state government in upbeat mood given that the worrisome figure of over 3,345 Abia women that die from child birth annually, is sure to fall drastically with FP uptake.

Speaking at a meda round table organised to keep journalists and stakeholders abreast of family planning situation in Abia, the FP Coordinator in Abia State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Mrs. Iheama Adanna Kelechi said much ground has been covered over the past four years and Abia is happy for it.

The improvement in FP uptake was achieved after sustained intervention by the Challenge Initiative(TCI), an international NGO that promotes sustainability and local ownership while demonstrating the feasibility of long-term investment in reproductive health .

Kelechi said the improvement recorded in FP uptake was made possible through a combination of awareness creation, training of health workers on the provision of family planning as well as improved funding of FP activities by the state government.

According to the FP Coordinator, 145 health workers were trained on long acting reversible contraceptive(LARC) methods which many Abia women have already embraced.

The chairman of the Advocay Core Group(ACG), Prof Ursula Akanwa commended TCI for making it possible for Abia to escalate family planning uptake, adding that FP is now a household practice.

She revealed that increased uptake of FP in Abia was achieved through the awareness generated from sustained advocacy visits to traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders, among other stakeholders.

Apart from improving women health and saving them from meeting death in the process of giving birth, Prof Akanwa also noted that FP “reduces child mortality”.

The logistics officer, Contraceptives Logistics System, Amarachi Ugorji said that even young persons, who hitherto shy away from FP, are now caught up in the new wave of demand generation engendered by increased awareness.

With prodding from TCI Abia has moved from zero to increased FP budgeting and between 2019 and 2021 N310 million was spent in FP activities.

The partnership between TCI and Abia government began in 2018 when the organisation signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which focused on creating demand for family planning.

Its technical assistance involved using social and behaviour change (SBCC) strategy in ramping up FP uptake in Abia and has successfully raised up contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) which had dropped to 12.9 per cent in 2018 before the coming of TCI.