Why PPMVs are central to ensuring Nigeria meets FP2020 target — Experts

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5 years ago

THE consensus of experts is that Nigeria will only be able to meet its Family Planning 2020 and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets only if proprietary patent medicine vendors (PPMVs) are co-opted in provision of family planning services in Nigeria.

The experts spoke at the dissemination workshop on ‘Assessment of the Processes and Mechanism of Influence of Proprietary Patent Medicine Vendors’ Training on Access to and Utilization of Injectable Contraceptive Services in Nigeria’, a World Health Organisation-sponsored project.

The project’s principal investigator, Professor Ademola Ajuwon, stated that evidences from the project indicated that the Federal Government can only make contraceptive services available to everybody who needs it by empowering PPMVs to provide safe contraceptive services.

According to him, evidence from studies done in Cross River, Kaduna and Oyo states indicated that PPMVs can do it if they are properly trained, supervised and monitored given that they are everywhere in the country, operate very flexible hours, don’t charge consultation fees and the people know them.

Professor Ajuwon declared that ensuring this would, however, require an enabling legal and regulatory environment for PPMVs to be involved in injectable contraceptive service delivery.

He stated, “This category of people can provide all the ranges of contraceptives. Our study looked directly at all the injectables, which is one of the most popular methods of contraceptives.

“Right now, PPMVs are not allowed to provide injectable contraceptives but because government is interested, if we give training to them, they can do the job. But we need the policy so that their harassment can end. Right now, they are being harassed.”

Dr Mojisola Oluwasanu, presenting the findings of the study, stated that 12 per cent of currently married women and 28 per cent of sexually active women aged between 15 and 49 years use modern contraceptive methods in Nigeria.

Dr Oluwasanu stated that studies have documented that PPVMs are the primary sources of contraceptives in Nigeria, with nine per cent of injectable contraceptive users currently obtaining it from them.

According to her, the project found that by the ninth month after training, 92 per cent of the PPMVs were providing injectable contraceptives and 97 percent of women said that they would return to collect their next injection because they were satisfied with their services.

Dr Oluwasanu declared that PPVMs will continue to play important roles in FP services provision because the current healthcare system is failing, and so underscore the need to formalize this intervention and to scale it up to the others part of the country.

— Sade Oguntola

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