The future is obviously looking bright for family planning uptake among women of reproductive age in Lagos State.
Going by statistics made available to Nigeria Health Online, during a recent tour of some facilities in Yaba-Oyingbo axis, more married woment seem to have embraced FP services in the area this year.
Confirming the surge, the Chief Matron at Ebute-Metta Health Centre, Morenke Adenaya said no fewer than 10 FP users visit the centre everyday, far more than before. Not only that, awareness seem to be growing about the fact that FP is for everyone. She cited the case of a 16 year old single girl who visited the centre recently to access the services.
“There is a lot of awareness in Lagos state, people are coming here for planning and we don’t reject anybody no matter who the person is. The advantages are enormous and with the adequate facility we have here and consumables which are regularly provided by the Nigeria Urban Reproduction Health Initiative (NURHI), we have what it takes to take care of users,” Adenaya told NHO.
One of the users at the facility, Mrs Evelyn Aja, told the reporter that she came for a renewal.
“I gave birth to twins and I’m here now to do family planning,”she said.
Aja is obviously a satisfied FP user.
“I’ve never experienced any complication and there’s no fear of unwanted pregnancy either. Of course I keep my appointments” she told NHO hapilly.
NHO also visited another facility, Alli Daodu Primary Health Centre, also in Yaba and saw women waiting to access different FP services.
An excited user another user, Wemimo Lawal, told the reporter: “I have been able to manage my home better, I have not had any incident of an unplanned baby and I have also been taught to only give birth to the number of children I will be able to cater for.”
Lawal disclosed that a good number of women she knows are are also attending the family planning clinic.
Also in Simpson Primary Health Centre, Yaba, NHO observed that the facility have had no fewer than 164 users in July.
A user in the facility, Bose Yakubu,told NHO said she is happier accesing family planning at the centre. According to her, she is not selfish about the benefits of family planning because she has gone ahead to introduce it to some of her friends which includes Omolola Oyetunde.
Said Omolola: “I came because my friend Bose introduced me to family planning and I am convinced of the advantages. I am calling on other women to take advantage of the free consumables and better services that are available at the centres to better their lives.
Also speaking to NHO, another senior nurse who pleaded anonymity at Simpson Primary Health Centre, Yaba, said some women react to a particular method and once this is discovered, such woman should go back to the facility for a change of method.
Although information gathered by NHO from the above visited facilities proved that there is low acceptance of family planning among unmarried people especially, the sexually active ones.
However, experts have advised that family planning should be embraced by every sexually single woman particularly the teenagers. According to her, the medical professionals at the centres are trained to attend to all categories of women.
A source from one the facilities sttributed the FP uptake in the state to NURHI’s intervention.