Keep up with latest news and be part of our weekly giveaways and airtime sharing, follow our WhatsApp channel for more update. Click to Follow us

The health hazards for women and girls of reproductive age have increased due to the lack of family planning supplies and consumables in Akwa Ibom State’s primary healthcare facilities, particularly those in rural areas.

Our correspondent’s visit to a few local government districts in the state showed that the prevalence of poverty in those regions was rising along with the rates of teenage unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal death.

According to data from the 2018 Nigeria Demography and Health Survey, Akwa Ibom has the highest prevalence of abortion among young people of reproductive age and one of the states with the highest percentage of teenage pregnancies (12%).

Additionally, the data revealed that the state’s maternal mortality rate, or MMR, was 520/100,000 live births.

A family head in Ikot Ebom Itam, Itu local government area of the state, expressed concern over the unsightly trend, describing how they recently lost two moms of three and four to delivery and cases of numerous other teenage girls becoming pregnant and quitting school.

According to Eteidung Akpan, the leader of the household, he urges his people who are of reproductive age to use family planning services in order to prevent some of the issues mentioned, including Vesico Virginal Fistula, or VVF, which is frequently brought on by premature deliveries.

His words, “yes I’m aware of family planning and I always encourage people to take up the services.

“We are losing our daughters to childbirth complications and we are not happy about that. Just recently, we lost two women.

“Family planning reduces health risks on women and gives them more control over their reproductive lives.

“With better health and greater control over their lives, women can take advantage of education, employment and civic opportunities.”

Speaking with a few young people in the communities revealed that their inability to access the service is hampered by the facilities’ lack of FP goods and the service providers’ requirement for payment before access.

Due to a shortage of different FP commodities to give customers an option, the Primary Health Care Centre in Ikot Oku Usung, Ukanafun Local Government Area, demonstrated the gaps in family planning services that currently exist.

One Abasiofiok, who went with his wife to the facility for a prenatal appointment, said he was happy for the wife to start FP services after giving birth, but he was disappointed that there weren’t more options available.

Additionally, adolescent mother Abasifreke, who attended a prenatal clinic, stated that she recently learnt about FP services and was ready to take up one, as she planned returning to school.

Speaking, Mrs. Edimek Emason Akpaitam, the Health Facility’s Officer in Charge and Family Planning provider, stated that the area’s family planning uptake had significantly improved and credited The Challenged Initiative, or TCI, with raising awareness and organising outreach in the neighbourhoods surrounding the health facility and the LGA as a whole.

She claimed that many individuals in Ukanafun are using FP services as a result of the current economic climate, but they lamented the insufficient goods and consumables.

Mrs. Asindi Joseph, a mother of five who recently received the implanon method at the Primary Health Care Operational Base in the state’s Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, remembered that following counselling, she selected the approach that has been working perfectly for her.

“It was my husband that brought the idea of family planning and now I’m enjoying it because I feel stronger, healthier and living well.

“It is not about the number of children that you have, but how you are able to train them.

“It is the best decision to take, it enhances child spacing, allows planning and enables me, the wife, to contribute to the family upkeep,” she told ZINGTIE

But according to our source, there are pregnant women who may still require FP services who are mentally ill and at risk of wandering the streets of Uyo.

In her early thirties, one of them wanders around Wellington’s Bassey Way, Ibom Plaza, and other areas. She has been raped by cold-hearted men nearly every year, with no idea where the children are born.

Another mentally ill woman who gave birth to her third kid and is known to her family as Eka Udo in Uyo was unable to identify the father of all of her children.

In casual Ibibio vernacular, she responded, “The road is open, and anyone can enter,” when asked who had gotten her pregnant.

In other words, anyone with canal knowledge of her can exploit her weakness.

She was later brought to a PHC to obtain family planning, according to information obtained from her relatives.

In the meantime, family planning has been defined as a reproductive health right for all people by The Challenged Initiative, TCI, a donor organisation supporting FP services in Akwa Ibom.

Every person, regardless of age or status, has the autonomy and access to plan their family, according to TCI Executive Director Dr. Taiwo Johnson, who also argued that women should be equipped with the appropriate knowledge and resources to make reproductive health decisions.

Meanwhile, Uchenna Ajike of MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices told that, “we do not believe that FP is only for married couples but the right of every human whether they are married or not.

Access to FP services is limited, according to a visit to a few health centres in the state.

Poor sensitisation and insufficient supplies and consumables in certain facilities may be the cause of this.

Mrs. Enobong Eshiet, the State’s FP Coordinator, reports that 32% of Akwa Ibom’s family planning needs are unmet.

According to her, “Unmet need means there are women who have need for family planning services but most of them don’t know where to access them. We need all hands to be on deck to ensure these needs are met.”

According to her, family planning services in Akwa Ibom are heavily reliant on donors because donor partners supply the majority of the supplies found in the medical facilities.

The Coordinator blamed FP clinics’ shortage of supplies on a lack of finance, stating that despite the government’s approval of FP services in many state budgets, not a single release has been made.

She revealed that Akwa Ibom State has not yet contributed to the national basket fund, unlike some other states, and bemoaned the fact that this has hampered the state’s ability to receive commodities from the federal government.

Her words, “Family planning services is more of partner dependent, we’ve been having approved budget in the state but no releases.

“When we found out the gap there, we constituted an advocacy core group and that core group is working out modalities for policy makers so that they see reasons to release funds allocated to family planning services. With these releases we can sustain our programmes.

“We were given a mandate in 2022 for states to start procuring their FP commodities because the national basket was no longer rich as it used to, as partners were withdrawing.

“Akwa Ibom State is yet to contribute to the basket and I hope before the year runs out something will be done so that if we request for instance 100 commodities they will give us but now when you request for 100 jadelles we may get 40.

“The quantity order shows what the state needs and the quantity supplied shows what the FG can give. They have to ration to other states but if we contribute, we will have in full.”

Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it. 
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.