The National Population Commission (NPC), has lamented the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on sexual and reproduction health of women and children.
The NPC said there was a ten percent decline in use of short-and-long acting reversible contraceptives.
Executive Chairman of NPC, Nasir Isa Kwarra, stated this in Calabar, to mark this year’s World Population Day with the theme: ‘Rights and Choices are the Answers: Whether Baby Boom or Bust, the Solution I used in Prioritising the Reproductive Health and Rights of all People.’
He noted that besides economic challenges, the lockdown which came as a result of the Covid-19 spread brought about “lack of access to basic healthcare, especially access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including family planning.”
Represented by the Cross River State Commissioner, Eteng Bassey, Kwarra said the decline could have resulted in 48,558,000 additional women with unmet need for modern contraceptive and 15,401,000 additional unintended pregnancies.
He added that the pandemic also recorded “10 percent decline in service coverage of essential pregnancy-related and newborn care leading to 1,745,000 additional women experiencing major obstetric complications.”
He stressed that the theme of the World Population Day was aimed at creating awareness on strategies to safeguard the reproductive health and rights of women and girls and eliminate practices that undermine the equality of women and girls.
The NPC Boss called on stakeholders to address major data gaps which limit understanding impacts of the pandemic on fertility, as well as timely and accurate information about births and deaths.

By: Friday Nwagbara, Calabar