An obstetrics and gynaecologist, Professor Josiah Mutihir has urged the Federal government to review Nigeria’s family planning policy, backing it up with a blueprint. This is in a bid to ensure increased access to family planning information and services as a basic healthcare service in the country.
Profesor Mutihir, in his inaugural lecture entitled “Family Planning and Contraception: The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth” at the University of Jos, declared that this would be a demonstration of genuine government’s commitment towards achieving the FP 2030 goals.
The expert declared that central to ensuring increased access to family planning information and services is a dedicated budget line for family planning services that is adequate, timely released and monitored for effective utilisation by all their tiers of government.
Professor Mutihir declared that with effective family planning using contraceptive methods unintended pregnancy would be a thing of the past and all men and women who desire family planning methods would have them at their doorsteps to achieve their desires in life.
The don stated that although unintended or unwanted pregnancy occurring is an issue, yet family planning is misunderstood by many stakeholders despite its demographic, health and human rights rationale.
“God endowed mankind with benefits and therefore instituted family planning. Contraception has always been an important part of human existence and experience among societies, cultures and traditions. They have and use family planning methods. Religion allows family planning methods.
“Not talking about sex does not make the sex go away; rather it is pushed to the dark with its consequences. Science developed modern methods of contraception based on knowledge allowed by God.”
Professor Mutihir said that men have a role in family planning, as influencers or supporters of women, advocates for family planning among their peers and as users of contraceptive methods and therefore should assess correct information to help make better decisions about their health and their partner’s health and effect positive changes.
He said notions such as contraceptive causing cancer is not true but that clients are switching over to modern methods for safety and effectiveness because unintended pregnancy can only be prevented by effective FP methods just as family planning saves lives and prevents over 30 per cent maternal deaths.
Professor Mutihir, therefore, called on the government to ensure all family planning counselling, commodities and services are free and available in all primary health clinics and facilities across the country and the integration of family planning into the training curriculum of all relevant institutions to enhance family planning services.
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