202 men accessed family planning services at PHC in 6 LGAs — BA-N

Following the need to increase male involvement in family planning in Nigeria, a USAID-funded Social Behaviour Change organisation, Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BA-N), says it succeeds in getting 202 men to access family planning services at the primary health care centres in six local government areas in Oyo State in one year.

BA-N’s Oyo State coordinator, Mrs Toyin Afachung, speaking at the organisation’s family planning intervention close-out and award ceremony, said the one-year intervention had boosted the uptake of family planning (FP) by reaching 78,013 with family planning messages and referring 5, 820 to access family planning services, majorly through house to house visits.

She added that of the 2,868 persons that accessed family planning methods at the primary health care centre, 202 were males.

According to her, “Men do come for family planning. Some of them come to ask questions; some accompany their wives to be knowledgeable about family planning methods; some come for condoms while some of them want vasectomy. At our PHCs, we don’t do methods like a vasectomy. But you can get counsel and be referred to a higher facility.”

Mrs Afachung said that testimonials abound in the community from women that had accessed family planning methods and highlighted challenges against family planning services in the state to include the distance of health facilities to catchment community, charging of fees, transferring of trained service providers for health facility and stock out of commodities.

Oyo State Family Planning Coordinator, Mrs Adeola Awakan, during a panel discussion at the event said that BA-N’s intervention had helped to dispel myths and misconceptions on FP in the community as well as boost confidence of men so their wives can access FP methods

According to her, “hitherto, there were so many misconceptions about FP in the community; so many fears about side effects of FP methods that they were able to dispel.”

Earlier, Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Babatunde Olatunji assured that the state would leverage on achievements made on family planning programming in the state to ensure they were sustained.

He added, “With adequate and sustaining funding from the state, nothing is stopping us from building our structure and make sure that we expand the coverage for FP services.”

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