The World Health Organization(WHO), and the United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA) in collaboration with the Cross River State Ministry of Health, plus other partners have renewed their commitment to ensuring quality and sustainable family planning policy drive and activities in Cross River state.
The resolve to family planning is against the backdrop of the recently announced increase in the world’s population from over 7 billion in 2021, to 8 billion people in 2022. In a technical working group conference on family planning in Calabar on Tuesday, stakeholders decried the rapidly increasing world population which is making it difficult for citizens to cope and increasing crime rate and hardship.
Sharing his observation on the development, the Director of Public Health, Cross River state, Dr Jonah Bassey Offor, explained, “It is interesting to note that last week, the world’s population rose up to 8bilion. Within a period of 2 years. So you ask yourself, how is the world going to cope with this large population?
“Presently, we have a lot of issues as far as population increase is concerned. The resources to take care of the rising population is a big challenge, so it behoves us, and the international community, to think if his we will stem this population increase. And the only way we can do that is through an effective family planning method.”
The state coordinator, WHO, Dr Salisu Ibrahim, represented by Dr Juliet Ubom, reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring a sustainable family planning policy drive in Cross River.
“We reaffirm our commitment to ensure quality family planning activities. We are also into field supervision and technical support. Our hands are on deck to support the state in this regard, we have seen the gaps in the field and we will share our experience as the days go by. We thank the implementing partners and the technical working group for their dedication and for coming through.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’s representative, Mr Emmanuel Emesonum, assured that “Family planning is in the heart of UNFPA.” He said the organisation will, “continue to support the implementing partners in family planning service delivery in Cross River.”
He insisted that the organisation expects nothing less than standard services.
Partners blamed the increase in crime rates, hardship, job search, and unemployment, as well as insecurity on the continued increase in world popularity.
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