THE Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has launched three reproductive health documents and tools designed to reduce the high rate of maternal mortality in the country.
Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, while unveiling the three documents in Abuja, said they would help in effective implementation of family planning, which was key to reduction of maternal mortality.
He added that the documents would add to the body of knowledge and improve decision-making in the health sector, particularly in the area of family planning.
“I am also sure that they will contribute to reduction in maternal morbidity and mortality and ultimately improve the health of our women and girls,” the minister said.
Prof. Adewole commended those that contributed directly and indirectly to the production of the documents, especially the UNFPA and other international donors.
He said the tools would set the country on the path towards the achievement of “our set targets particularly the overall goal of improved maternal health.”
These instruments include the National Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA-SC) Accelerated Introduction and Scale-Up Plan 2018 – 2022; the National Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indication; and the Global Family Planning Visibility and Analytical Network/National Logistics Management Information System (Navision).
The minister said the DMPA-SC plan was developed to ensure that contraceptive information and services reached women and adolescent girls who might want to avoid pregnancy, space or limit child birth.
It also provides the modalities for coordinating the activities of various stakeholders involved in introducing and scaling up Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA-SC) through a total market approach.
According to Prof. Adewole, the key objectives of the DMPA-SC introduction and scale up plan was to deploy DMPA-SC throughout identified public, private and community service delivery channels so as to maximise uptake.
The acting Country Representative of UNFPA, Dr. Eugene Kongnyuy, said, in his speech, that the documents were very important to UNFPA, saying “in the face of shrinking development resources, reaching 120 million new contraceptive users by 2020 and achieving a national contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) of 27 per cent by 2020 will require innovative strategies including more effective and efficient family planning (FP) supply chains.”
and then