Experts in maternal and reproductive health have said adequate and consistence use of Family Planning will reduce maternal and newborn deaths in Nigeria by 30 percent.
According to this experts Nigeria has a high maternal mortality ratio of 512 per 100,000 live births, implementing family planning service and integrating Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) service delivery in the country’s health system would reduce deaths among women and newborns.
They made the call at the fourth day of a one-week webinar training for health reporters and feature writers organised by Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal, and Child Health in partnership with the Society Of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON) and the Federal Ministry of Health.
“Increasing public sector investments in family planning will enable Nigeria meet her family planning blueprint goal of 36 percent Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) by 2020, which will save additional 22, 000 mothers and 101, 00 children from dying,” said Hadiza Galadanci, Director Africa Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital/Bayero University Kano, Nigeria.
She said that that increasing family planning birth spacing methods to at least two years would have significantly saved about 94, 000 infants lives in 2017 and more in subsequent years.
“The effect of family planning on maternal health would ensure reduction in pregnancy related and infant morbidity and mortality; improve birth outcome, reduce prematurity and low birth weight babies, as well as better healthy babies,” she said
Galadanci further said that use of contraceptives reduces the risk of endometrial cancer and ovarian tumours in women by 40 percent, as well as reduces risk of ectopic pregnancy and Sexual Transmitted Infections including Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
Also speaking Samuel Oyeniyi, National Desk Officer, Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR), Federal Ministry of Health, said the federal and state governments should integrate and implement reproductive health policies to improve quality of care of women of child bearing age, monitor maternal and infant delivery process, determine cause of mortalities and institute corrective interventions at facilities in community and private levels.
“The policy implementation would ensure more women are captured in the family planning data in order to eradicate maternal and infant death in the country,” he said.
However , Emmanuel Lufadeju, National Coordinator, Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal, and Child Health also stated that while government is giving priority to Agriculture and farmers, such attention should be given to family planning service to save more Nigerian women and new born from dying in their numbers.
He called for the speedy passage of the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR)Bill by the National Assembly.
