Oyo Family Planning, Reproductive Health Law formulation takes shape

Moves towards the formulation of a law on Family Planning, Reproductive Health and Maternal Services in Oyo State, continued on Wednesday, with a public hearing involving various stakeholders.

The stakeholders who converged on State Secretariat, Ibadan, at the instance of the Oyo House of Assembly, rendered positions on evolving a standard regulation and monitoring of reproductive and maternal healthcare services in the state.

Setting the tone for the discourse, Chairman, House Joint Committee on Health and Women Affairs, Honourable Silas Okunlola noted that the law had become expedient due to the increasing number of sub standard maternity centers, quackery and inadequacies in reproductive health and maternity services. 

Speaking in the same vein, co-Chairman of the joint committee, Honourable Wumi Oladeji, lamented that due to poor access to adequate reproductive health and maternal services in the state, many women suffered casualties during child bearing, hence the need for a regulation. 

She explained further that the bill intended to promote women’s rights to access adequate maternal and reproductive health care services, stipulate standards for monitoring and provision of family planning.

In addition, Oladeji said the bill when passed into law will promote women’s health, safe motherhood, reduce maternal mortality and morbidity.

In his remarks, Speaker of the Assembly, Honourable Olagunju Ojo, said the bill was one of seven bills relating to health issues considered by the current Assembly.

He expressed optimism that the bill when passed into law will drastically reduce the challenges of maternal and morbidity in the state. 

Representing the Oyo Ministry of Health, Dr Ladipo Taiwo noted the need for traditional birth attendants to have their own training, certification and registration.

Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, state Attorney General, Mr Oluseun Abimbola advocated for better definition of contraceptives, while bearing in mind the increasing population of Nigerians.

Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association, Oyo State, Dr Akin Sodipo, in his own input, called for an increase in the fine for erring substandard operators of medical facilities, as well as the inclusion of midwives and nurses on the committee of government that will be set up to regulate Family Planning, Reproductive Health and Maternal Services.

Speaking,  representative of the Society for Family Health, Mr Azeez Oluwajobi, said the age range of adolescents as contained in the bill should be spelt out while Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan branch, Mr Oluwole Akintayo, questioned the source of funding of the regulatory committee to be set up when the law comes into being.