The Society for Family Health (SFH), under the Delivering Innovation in Self-Care (DISC) family planning project, has advocated child spacing for improved maternal health.
The SFH-DISC project advocates for child spacing through the adoption of family planning methods for improved maternal health.
The adoption of the modern family planning method was reiterated at a family planning programme held at Children Specialist Hospital, Centre Igboro, Ilorin, in the Ilorin South local government area of Kwara State on Friday to mark 2024 International Women’s Day (IWD)
Speaking at the event, the Chief Nursing Officer at Children Specialist Hospital, Centre Igboro, Ilorin, Hajia Taibat Titilayo Yusuf, said that the programme was aimed at sensitising women and educating them on modern family planning methods.
The nursing officer, who said that there are many family planning methods, mentioned the barrier method, the implant method, and the injection method, among others.
She said that the aim of the programme was to create awareness among women and teach them self-application of Depo-Medroxyprogesterone Acetate-Subcutaneous (DMPA-SC), which was given to them free of charge by the government.
Hajia Taibat, who said that women are very important in society, stated that the self-injection method would also allow them to engage in other activities in their respective communities since they would not be required to go to hospitals in search of medical personnel for the application of the injections at three-month intervals.
Also speaking, the Family Planning Coordinator, Kwara State Ministry of Health, Hajia Bilkis Ibrahim Iyabo, said that women of reproductive age are expected to step down from the knowledge and benefits of the training received by members of their various communities.
Hajia Iyabo, who advised the women not to patronise quacks for family planning services, said they should visit government hospitals and clinics for free treatment by qualified medical experts.
The family planning coordinator, who lamented that a large number of women die during pregnancy, childbearing, and childbirth, said that family planning is capable of ensuring healthy living and prolonging lives among women when they embrace child spacing.
“Family planning doesn’t mean that one will no longer be able to give birth when you do it. It only enables one to have children by choice, not by chance. Family planning doesn’t kill, stop, or delay childbearing. It only ensures that women are strong, have energy, and are in good health to come back to childbearing after one delivery. It’s for child spacing and to give good health,” she said.
Talking about the three-month DMPA-SC self-injection, Hajia Iyabo said that it allowed for privacy as it could be done by oneself after adequate training by qualified medical personnel.
In his contribution to the training, the Social and Behavioural Change Communication Officer, who is an SFH-DISC staff member in Kwara State, Mr. Afeez Tijani, said that the programme organised for women of reproductive age was to sensitise them on their rights and embrace child spacing methods so that they would have time to train their children as well as take care of their health.
Highlights of the programme were the distribution of flyers, educational talks on the importance of women, types of family planning methods, and the distribution of drugs and treatments.
