CSOs task Niger govt on investment in health to take care of rising population

CIVIL Society Organisations (CSOs) in Niger have called on the state government to show more commitment toward tackling rising population through increased investment in the health sector.

The CSOs made the call in Minna on Friday at a news conference organised by Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health in commemoration of 2019 World Population Day.

Observed annually on July 11, the day was fixed by the Governing Council of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989 to raise awareness about global population issues.

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No specific theme was declared for the 2019 World Population Day, but the day calls for global attention to the unfinished business of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development.

Dr Aliyu Shehu, the Project Director, Centre for Communication and Reproductive Health Services, said access to modern contraceptives and quality healthcare was the only way to improve family life and control population growth.

Shehu noted that government must fund family planning to achieve demographic dividends.

He added that “with continued rising population, we must take measures to ensure population management that will spur this trajectory into attaining demographic dividends.

“One of the measures is improved investment in the health sector to address challenges facing reproductive health issues in the state.

“Family planning reduces vulnerabilities, enable women to space pregnancy at safe intervals and control population growth disasters.”

According to him, the state’s vision for family planning as expressed in the Niger State Costed Implementation Plan, if implemented, will avert 250,000 unintended pregnancies within 2018 to 2020.

He added that “the plan aims to create demographic dividends that will boost economic growth and breakout from the cycle of poverty.”

He said that for the state to harvest positive health indicators, there was the need to do more for the population in terms of increased funding and access to family planning services.

He tasked the legislative arm of government in the state to enact laws that would strengthen the health system.