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Health

Gates Foundation advises FG to raise FP funding

Gates Foundation advises FG to increase FP funding
By Vivian Ihechu
Funding
Abuja, Dec. 5, 2018 (NAN) To safeguard the health of Nigerians, especially mothers, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Nigeria, says there is urgent need for the Federal Government to increase domestic funding for health services and care, especially in Family Planning.
According to it, this has become necessary as donor funding is dwindling and healthy people still remain the greatest assets of any nation.
Dr Paulin Basinga, the Nigeria Country Director, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, gave the advice at the fifth Nigeria Family Planning Conference (NFPC2018) in Abuja.
The conference has its theme as: “Investment, Innovation, Inclusiveness”.
“For Nigeria to reach its full potential, it needs to prioritse its greatest assets, its people, by investing in their health, education and equal opportunity which ensures prosperity that is sustained from generation to generation.
“By investing in a strong primary health care system, by delivering diverse essential FP services, medicine, vaccines and nutrition services, the country can efficiently and effectively take care of 90 per cent of people’s health care needs.
“Nigeria has the resources and knows how to get this right.
“More funding is needed and also data as well as strong and bold leadership to accelerate progress.
“The donor money is shrinking and it is urgent to increase domestic funding for health and more specifically for FP,’’ Basinga, who was represented by Ms Diallo said.
“The right in investment in FP that the conference advocates for is a critical step to achieve demographic transition and reap demographic dividend.
“Investing in FP is one of the smartest investments a country can make and Nigeria should not be an exception,’’ she said.
Baniga said that contraceptives, which are part of FP measures, can help save lives as well as reduce poverty.
According to her, this will translate to more days spent in school, more women who are freer to work outside their homes, earn an income and contribute to the economies.
“Also fewer women will die in pregnancies and more children will survive childhood,’’ the Gates Foundation official said. (NAN)
VIV/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Family Planning: Conference decries teen birth rates in Nigeria

Family Planning: Conference decries teen birth rates in Nigeria
By Vivian Ihechu
Births
Abuja, Dec. 3, 2018 (NAN) The Women Pre-Conference of the fifth Nigeria Family Planning Conference (NFPC 2018) on Monday in Abuja says there is urgent need to stem high teen birth rates in Nigeria.
According to it, this will help to curb maternal deaths in the country as well as improve better health and economic indices in the country.
The News Agency if Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference has its theme as: “Investment, Innovation, Inclusiveness”.
MS Hauwa Shekarau, the Country Director, IPAS Nigeria, in a paper presentation: “Accessing Family Planning Commodities of Choice: Barriers and Perceptions’’, said the high rates have been attributed to a number of barriers to access contraception.
“According to Demographic and Health Survey (2014), an estimated 23 per cent of women aged 15-19 years have begun childbearing, of which 17 per cent have had their first child and five per cent are pregnant with their first child.
“Also 32 per cent of teenagers in rural areas have begun childbearing, as opposed to 10 per cent in the urban areas of Nigeria.
“This survey shows disparities within the geopolitical zones as follows: Northwest 36 per cent, Northeast 32 per cent, North Central 19 per cent, South South 12 per cent, South East eight per cent and South West eight per cent.’’
According to the study, she says, the statistics reveal a direct relationship between the level of education and rate of early pregnancies.
“The northern part of Nigeria, with the lowest literacy rates has the highest rates of early pregnancies.
“The explanation given is that the higher the level of education, the higher the level of contraceptive use and awareness about risks and complications associated with early pregnancy.
“There is also correlation between poverty levels and early pregnancies,’’ she said.
Shekarau said that early pregnancies, frequent pregnancies, unplanned pregnancies as well as unsafe abortions can result in maternal deaths.
According to her, one of the most basic means of avoiding maternal deaths and unsafe abortion is by preventing pregnancy and Family Planning is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent pregnancy.
However, she said there are barriers to accessing FP commodities and services.
“According to UNFPA 2017, one of the major barriers to accessing FP commodities is gender relationships.
“Gender stereotypes are still prevalent in Nigeria, where social norms often reinforce a power structure in which men are seen as breadwinners and women mainly as caretakers.
“Such views can lead to gender-based violence, lack of access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for women and to fathers, limited involvement in contraceptive choices and child development.
“Other barriers to FP commodity include unnecessary costly examinations and laboratory test requirements as a precursor for accessing hormonal contraceptives; providers of biases and beliefs.’’
She said: “Also, lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and youth friendly centres where youths can easily access these modern contraceptives remains a concern in Nigeria.
“Other barriers include the high cost of supplies and limited numbers of outlets from which to obtain contraceptive supplies.
“Lack of sexuality education programmes in schools (and poor quality of programmes where they do exist) and cultural norms that limit the use of contraception is also a barrier to accessing FP commodities,” she said.
Shekarau said that to overcome these barriers, there should be increased knowledge and sensitisation, adequate funding and release of funds, strengthening and equipping health facilities, ensuring contraceptive availability and ensuring availability of data. (NAN)
VIV/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

UNFPA earmarks $12m for contraceptives in Nigeria yearly

UNFPA earmarks $12m for contraceptives in Nigeria yearly

NAN-HG-5

Contraceptives

By Mustapha Sumaila

Abuja, July 3, 2017 (NAN) The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Monday said not less than $12 million is earmarked to be spent annually on contraceptives for Family Planning (FP) in Nigeria.

The UNFPA National Programme Specialist, Mrs Olanike Adedeji, disclosed while briefing journalists on the line up programme to mark 2017 World Population Day in Abuja.

Adedeji explained that the Nigerian government committed only $2 million for the procurement of contraceptives for FP until 2011, when the government proclaimed such FP commodities to be free in public health facilities.

She said that since that declaration, many donors like USAID, DFID and UNFPA contributed resources to ensure this pronouncement became reality.

According to her, all this effort was to ensuring that the commodities were all over public facilities in the country.

“After the proclamation and MoU was signed, Nigeria started having between $12 to $16 million every year,” she said.

The programme specialist said that UNFPA intervened to assist in distribution from the national warehouse to states to local government health facilities.

She added that USAID was also supporting in five to seven states in the country.

She said that UNFPA has engaged 5,000 health care workers to provide the services across the country.

Adedeji stated that in 2012, Nigeria had a golden moment in London when it proposed to give $11.5 million annually, pointing out that the Federal Ministry of Health was expected to give $3 million while the then Sure-P programme would dole out $8.5.

She noted that due to fall in oil prices Sure-P’s commitment was not realisable but had been depending on contribution from the ministry of health.

“From 2012 till date what we have been getting is $3 million from the ministry of health and we have been pushing for review and recently we learnt the Federal Executive Council had increased it to four million dollars,” she said.

The official explained that FP was not meant to reduce population as widely perceived in the country.

She said that it was meant to ensure basic needs of life like education, health infrastructural facilities were adequate or commensurate to the growing population.

Adedeji noted that it depends on how it is used as “population could be a blessing or a curse to any country’’. (NAN)
MS/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola