By Longtong Ibrahim
A Media Specialist, Iliya Kure, has expressed concern over Nigeria’s ability to meeting up with its set target of increasing Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) to 36% by 2018, saying the appropriate funding and investment expected to have been committed to Family Planning (FP) over the years by governments has not been met.
Nigeria at a London summit in 2012 made a commitment to achieving 36% CPR by 2018, promising to invest US$600 million dollars to FP, but since then, it only committed three million dollars annually, he added.
Kure raised the concern on Tuesday during a media round table on safe motherhood organized by Development Communications Network (Devcoms), to commemorate the 2017 Safe Motherhood day in Kaduna – northwest Nigeria.
While presenting a paper titled, ‘Child Birth Spacing, A Key Strategy to Reducing Maternal Death – Time to Act’, the Media Specialist explained that FP is one sure way of reducing Maternal Mortality, hence the need for adequate investment, saying, if women are supported to space their children, about one quarter to one-third of all maternal death could be averted.
According to National Demographic Health Survey, NDHS, 2013, in Nigeria about 576 women in every 100,000 live births dies as a result of pregnancy related complications, while the CPR (people using any form of contraceptive) is 15.1% which is not up to half of the next year’s target of 36%.
According to Kure, Safe motherhood entails ensuring good health for mothers and their offspring irrespective of age, race, nationality and status, noting that it comprises of antenatal care, skill attendant at delivery, post delivery care (including post abortion care and family planning) as well as breast feeding.
“Slowing down spread of HIV, promotion of gender equity, protection of the environment, poverty reduction and acceleration of socioeconomic development of a state are among the benefits of Child Birth Spacing” he added.
He however commended the Kaduna state government for creating a budget line of 100,000 for FP in the state urging other government to follow suit so as to reduce maternal mortality and encourage safe motherhood.
