Family Planning: Stakeholders Decry High Maternal Mortality Rate in Rural Areas 

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Experts and reproductive health activists in the country have said that most rural communities face significant barriers in accessing family planning commodities, thereby resulting in higher maternal mortality rates.
The stakeholders therefore urged the federal government to increase funding for reproductive health in order to provide free pregnancy care, and make contraceptive commodities accessible for women.
They made the call Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rightsat (SRHR) Summit 1.0 to mark 2024 World Contraception Day in Abuja, organised by the Media Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria.

The summit themed “A Choice for All: Freedom to Plan, Power to Choose”, brought together healthcare providers, policymakers, and civil society organizations to address Nigeria’s pressing reproductive health challenges.
The National President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, Prof Rosemary Ogu, while calling on government to increase funding for reproductive health, provide free pregnancy care, and make contraceptive commodities accessible, also highlighted the need for education and demand creation, ensuring that primary health care centers are functional and utilized.

“Contraception reminds us that there’s a strategy to prevent women from dying, enable them to go to school, and help adults reach their full potential,” Ogu stated.
She noted that rural communities face significant barriers in accessing family planning commodities, resulting in higher maternal mortality rates.
To address this, Ogu urged the government to increase funding for reproductive health, provide free pregnancy care, and make contraceptive commodities accessible.

She also highlighted the need for education and demand creation, ensuring that primary health care centers are functional and utilized.
“Nigeria has a demographic bulge; if we’re all healthy, Nigeria can become the greatest nation on earth,” Ogu concluded.
Similarly, the Country Director of IPAS Nigeria Health Foundation, Dr. Lucky Palmer, called for universal access to modern contraceptives and comprehensive reproductive health services in Nigeria.

Palmer also called on government to address the cultural and systemic barriers hindering access to contraception, especially for vulnerable groups such as adolescents and women with disabilities.
His words: “In Nigeria, we often assume adolescents shouldn’t have sex, so they don’t need contraception. However, contraception should be free and available to all, regardless of age, disability, or marital status.

“These women are often excluded due to systemic issues rather than individual limitations. It is time for Nigeria’s healthcare system to address these inequalities and ensure no one is left behind.”
He further highlighted the stark reality that unplanned pregnancies contribute to over 1,500 maternal deaths annually in Nigeria, deaths that could be easily prevented with access to effective contraceptives.