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March 28, 2024

Family Planning: Ogun to address unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortion

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By Yetunde Fatungase

The Ogun Government says it will focus and capture more adolescents in its family planning initiatives and programmes, to address spate of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortion among youths.

The Executive Secretary of the state’s Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr Elijah Ogunsola made this known at a meeting with the Technical Working Group on Reproductive Health, to draft the 2020-2024 Costed Implementation Plan (CIP) on Wednesday in Abeokuta.

Ogunsola noted that the document would be a road map for effective reproductive health and family planning activities.

He stressed the need for sexual and reproductive health education, as well as uptake of modern contraceptive methods for adolescents and women of child bearing age.

He said this would discourage them from patronising quacks, especially patent medicine practitioners.

“Ogun State being a frontliner in family planning programmes, has been proactive and we have what we call the cost implementation plan document that is like an advocacy tool for us.

“The document contains what we actually need to provide comprehensive family planning service for our women, and we have commenced the process of reviewing it to meet the current realities,” he said.

Ogunsola stated that the document when completed, would ensure that youths take informed decisions about their reproductive health, adding that it would also reduce the practice of unsafe abortion and secondary infertility in the future.

Earlier, the state’s Reproductive Health Coordinator, Dr Israel Orire said the meeting would promote coordination and collaboration among implementing agencies and stakeholders.

He said it would also  identify expected outcomes to improve on what had been done in the past, adding that reproductive health was  an integral part of primary health care and should be strengthened to ensure success.

Also, the state’s Programme Coordinator, The Challenge Initiative , Mrs Busola Oyeyemi stated that the past CIP and outbreak of COVID-19 had provided the state the opportunity to identify the needs of adolescents and youths when seeking reproductive health counselling, guidance and family planning uptake.

She expressed optimism that the 2020-2024 blueprint would ensure that they approach the right channels. (NAN)

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