Experts urge FG to implement family planning policies

Experts in reproductive health have enjoined the federal government to implement family planning policies.

They made the call in Abuja yesterday during a media roundtable ahead of the 7th Nigeria Family Planning Conference with the theme ‘Journey to 2030: The Opportunities Ahead’.

The President Emeritus of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), Prof. Oladapo Ladipo, said Nigeria had very robust family planning policy documents but the challenge was non-implementation.

He said there was the need for government commitment to ensure adequate family planning commodities as well as qualified personnel for every primary, secondary and tertiary health care facility.

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He said if the country did not reduce its fertility rate, it might have the largest population in the world by 2050.

Ladipo said if the country could invest in preventive immunization for children, there was no reason women could not access free family planning with an investment of at least $1 per woman of reproductive age.

The chairman of the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP) and Nigeria Family Planning Conference, Dr Ejike Orji, said Nigeria had not fulfilled its commitment to allocate $4 million annually for family planning programmes. 

He said it was important to ensure that women and men access qualitative family planning services to plan their families, and the services should be free at all public health facilities.

 The Director of Population Management, National Population Commission (NPC), Margret Edison, enjoined the federal government to publish the specific amount earmarked for family planning in the health budget annually.

“We need to fight against forced child early marriage. We need to take conversations on family planning beyond borders, boundaries and barriers if we must take advantage of opportunities of family planning. 

“There is also a need to make family planning commodities available in all government primary healthcare facilities and expand access,” she added. 

The Country Director of Pathfinder International, Nigeria, Dr Amina Dorayi, said the media, male involvement, social media and young people could be harnessed to increase the uptake of family planning services.