Concern mounts over family planning rate in Akwa Ibom, other states

Forum 7 months ago

Concern mounts over family planning rate in Akwa Ibom, other states

Family planning remains below average in Akwa Ibom State and some other parts of the country,

This is not unconnected with ignorance, myths, misconception and religious belief.

This has made it difficult for Nigeria to meet the global pledge it made along other countries in 2012 to achieve a Modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (MCPR) of 27 per cent among all women by 2020.

Akwa Ibom on its part is struggling to meet its target of attaining 30 per cent by 2030 as stipulated by the Federal Ministry of health.

The State is currently at 19.8 per cent.

According to the 2006 census data, the estimated population in Akwa Ibom is 6,534,782 million. From the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), the estimated Women Reproductive Age,WRA, (15-49 years) is 1,437,652, which is 22 per cent of the total population, while the estimated number of women in reproductive age currently using the modern Family Planning method is approximately 215,090.

The Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria had foreseen a population explosion and identified Family Planning (FP) as a tool to slow down the burgeoning population and reduce the high maternal and child mortality rate.

Worried by the situation, the Family Planning Coordinator, Akwa Ibom State Primary Health Care Development Agency (AKSPHCDA) Mrs Enobong Eshiet during the Breakthrough Action-Nigeria (BA-N) Media review meeting in Uyo, encouraged women and couples to make voluntary choices of family planning services for their economic and health wellbeing.

She said, “I’m not satisfied with the number of uptakes in the State because we have not met our target.

“Our target by the federal ministry of health is 30 per cent by 2030, but Akwa Ibom State is just 19.8 per cent currently in its Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR). So we still have much to do to meet up the target.”

In an interview with one Ekemini Akpabio, popularly known as ‘Nma Uyo’ in one of the communities in Akwa Ibom, she narrated that she was not aware of family planning services until she had her seventh child (though stillbirth) which almost cost her life.

According to the mother of six, “Initially I was not aware of family planning. No one talked to me about that. My husband repairs bicycles at Itam Market and I fry akara to help my family.

“I had all my children with a traditional birth attendant in our community, but will I say fortunately or unfortunately, when my 7th child came, the pregnancy was very difficult.

“Even when labour came, the baby did not come out despite the effort of the woman where I went to give birth. I was referred to the health centre. After everything, God helped me and I gave birth, by then, the baby had already died out of exhaustion.”