Government Urged to Make Family Planning Services Free
Dr. John Godwin, Senior Registrar in the Department of Community Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), has called on the government to make family planning services free to address the low contraceptive prevalence rate in the country. He made this call while speaking at a roundtable workshop organized by The Challenge Initiative (TCI) and DevCom network for the state media advocacy group on family planning in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
Dr. Godwin, a community health expert, spoke on the topic "Unlocking Sustainable Development through Family Planning: Exploring the Connections between Population, Prosperity, and the Planet." He emphasized the direct relationship between uncontrolled population growth and poverty, as well as health challenges. He noted that family planning is linked to population growth rate and can help regulate it if well planned.
"In a society where family planning is working, the population rate would be organized and slower. When it's slower, the pressure on natural resources like agriculture, ecosystems, and the nation's resources will be well regulated. There will be less insecurity caused by scrambling for natural resources. Family planning is that balance between population growth rate and the nation's resources," he said.
Dr. Godwin decried how the high population overwhelms resources in education and health sectors and called for population control through family planning. He highlighted the benefits of family planning, including effective allocation of resources, enhancement of quality education, health, economic prosperity, and enabling women to maximize their potential.
Mrs. Jatto Bashirat Adebukola, Family Planning Coordinator in the state ministry of health, said the state government aims to improve the 17% contraceptive prevalence rate among women of reproductive age. She lamented that misinformation and misconceptions about family planning, especially in rural areas, pose significant challenges.
The TCI state program lead, Dr. Adewale Abiodun, represented by Mrs. Sharon Gabriel, urged parents to discuss family planning with their children and called on media practitioners to engage stakeholders to address the low contraceptive prevalence rate.
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