Ogun Restates Commitment To Reproductive Healthcare Of Women

ABEOKUTA - The Ogun State Government says it is determined to sustain the empowerment of women of reproductive age and families with the provision of quality family planning services to further increase the health indices of the State.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker made this known in Abeokuta, at the ‘End of Project Dissemination’ organized by The Challenge Initiative (TCI), a development partner on reproductive health, saying the State is poised to provide affordable, qualitative and efficient health care delivery for the people.

Coker noted that Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the State had been renovated, equipped and staffed to meet the daily health needs of people in various communities, adding that human and material resources for family planning services were also imbedded in the centres.

 "This is not the end of our family planning programme in the State, rather it is a transition to self-reliance. I want to assure you that our women will not die as a result of pregnancy-related complications. We will ensure that we improve on the present Contraceptive Prevalence Rate which is at 32 percent”, Coker assured.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr. Elijah Ogunsola said the State had drawn a strategic plan to enhance family planning programming, noting that support received from the partner over the four-year period would assist in improving the welfare of women of reproductive age.

On his part, the Director, The Challenge Initiative (TCI), Nigeria, Dr. Victor Igharo commended the government for showing interest in improving its family planning indices, saying the organisation would continue to give technical backing to stimulate demand for family planning uptake.

Igharo added that its four-year period partnership with the State has made high impact intervention in key areas of demand generation, service delivery, advocacy, as well as monitoring and evaluation.

In their separate responses, the State Program Cordinator, (TCI), Mrs Busola Oyeyemi, TCI State Lead, Demand Generation, Mrs. Olubunmi Ojelade and her counterpart in  Reasearch, Monitoring & Evaluation, Mr. Rotimi Idowu appreciated the State for giving them the enabling environment to partner in the cardinal areas and make meaningful impact in the lives of women of reproductive age, calling on Government to sustain the drive for improved especially in the area of Life Planning for Adolescents and Youths ( LPAY)

Highlight of the event was the presentation of award to Dr. Coker for her immeasurable contribution to sustaining family planning and reproductive health intervention in the State and certificate of recognition to groups, including Inter-Faith, Advocacy Working Group, and other State officers.