By Amos Tauna
Kaduna State government in northern Nigeria, in collaboration with Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), have introduced programmes aimed at ensuring people in the state fully understand and embrace family planning.
This has resulted in the training and sensitization of relevant stakeholders in different fora towards appreciating the benefits and importance that goes with child birth spacing to the individual, the family, the community and the society at large.
Speaking in Kaduna at the training of religious leaders on child birth spacing, the State Team Leader of NURHI, Kabir M. Abdullahi, explained that Nigeria remains the worst place for a woman to die as a result of pregnancy complications.
He lamented that this was as a result of birth practicing, inadequate medical personnel and equipment, stressing that in Nigeria, it is one doctor to 400,000 patients while the global accepted practice is one doctor to 500 patients.
Abdullahi emphasised that lack of birth spacing affects the health of the child, mother, father, the entire family and the society in general, adding that the chances of death was very high among children that do not have good spacing.
The State Team Leader noted that about 33,000 women die annually through child birth as a result of series of complications, pointing out that the number could be eradicated, if necessary measures were taken to avert the ugly situation.
Kabir Kassim, the Deputy Chief Imam, Kafanchan and Pastor Gbaderu quoted several scriptures in the Quran and the Bible to show the acceptance of Christianity and Islam have for family planning as the basic way of man existence on earth.
Participants at the training programme also showed enthusiasm, describing it as the best practice for the existence of man, while assuring of their resolved to spread the message to their communities.
