The Rivers State Government has revealed that family planning contributes to about 40 per cent reduction in maternal mortality rate in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof Princewill Chike disclosed this at the 2020 World Contraception Day, observed last Saturday, in Port Harcourt.
Launched in 2007, the WCD is an annual worldwide campaign designed to improve awareness of contraception, with a strategic goal to allow women make informed choices about their reproductive health, in the hope that every pregnancy was intentional.
Speaking at the event, Chike said, “Family planning provides a means whereby family can produce children of choice and not by chance. Access to good family planning means the young girl and her partner are secured and high risk pregnancy could be avoided. Safe family planning could prevent as many as one in every three maternal death as it allows women to space birth, avoid unwanted pregnancy as well as abortion”.
Chike pointed out that there was progress in the state as only 19.6 per cent of married women used modern method of contraception, and reiterated the state government’s commitment to provide women with access to quality information services in all the 328 public health facilities in the state.
“In Rivers State, only 19.6 per cent of currently married women used modern method of contraception. This data shows that although some progress is been made, there is more work to be done.
“The Rivers State Government, through the Ministry of Health and its parastatals, is committed to provide women with access to quality information and services in their public health facilities in the state in partnership with several non-governmental organizations.
“In line with the new vision for healthcare development, you are conveniently invited to access family planning in all the 328 health facilities across the state, despite the Covid-19 pandemic”, the commissioner noted.
He said that there were economic benefits of family planning, as over 200million women across the world do not have accesses to contraception, and added that Nigeria was working towards contraceptive prevalence of 27 per cent by the end of 2023.
“There are also economic benefits, as economists estimate that every $1 invested in universal excess to protection, saves countries $120 in reduced needs for infrastructure and social spending. Despite global effort, many women and girls still endure challenges and avoid delays in pregnancy.
“As the world population increases, so also there is need for contraception. There are more women and girls who want to avoid uncoordinated pregnancy, and accept modern contraception method”, Chike added.
According to him, “Although some reports show that some progress has been made towards closing the gaps, but there are still over 200 million women around the world without access to contraception, and most of them are in low or middle income payee in the country.
“Nigeria is working towards contraceptive prevalence of 27 per cent by the end of 2023. Right now, the figure stands as 17 per cent”, the commissioner quoted the 2018 edition of the National Demographic Health Survey.

By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana