By: Joy Odor/Kaduna
It has been discovered that prior to the challenges faced by women in accessing the family planning commodities, the Soba Local Government Area in Kaduna state has witness a breakthrough in accepting the use of contraceptives through Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI).
This was discovered during a health facility tour by some Kaduna-Base investigative Journalists which was organized by Development Communication Network (DevCom) at Yakasai and Richifa Primary Health Care Centres in Soba local government area of Kaduna State, Northwest Nigeria as part of programs line up to commemorate this year World Population Day.
In a separate interview with health reporters who visited the two communities, Yakasai and Richifa that have been enjoying NURHI intervention shows that the rural dwellers have thrown their support on the use of family planning.
The Routine Immunization Provider, Mallam Ibrahim Garba who welcomed the delegation at Richifa Primary Health Care Centre, expressed delight that couples have fully embraced family planning having been sensitized on its importance to the lives of the mother, child, father, family and the entire society.
He appreciated the effort Nigeria Urban Reproductive Health Initiative for supplying all the necessary materials needed to ensure the success of family planning in the area, adding that sine the intervention by NURHI, the rate of maternal mortality has reduced drastically.
While at Yakasai Primary Health Centre, the Assistant in Charge of Family Planning, Malama Fatima Adamu added that the centre always engages community and religious leaders with a view to further create awareness to their people on the importance of family planning, adding that tremendous success has been recorded since last year.
She noted that there had been great reduction in the number of women dying through child birth attributing it to the awareness created through various programmes organized to NURHI.
Malama Fatima however explained that presently, more women come for family planning compared to the challenge they went through prior to the intervention of Nigeria Urban Reproductive Health Initiative.
The Assistant in Charge informed that more women used the injectable contraceptive than the others.
During the tour, Report circle discovered that in 2016, the Local Government Area recorded about 20 to 25 women who used the various family planning commodities every month but in 2017, it increased to over 60 women in each primary Health Centre are using the various contraceptives.
It will be nice to note that NURHI has been existing for the past eight years and has succeeded in putting smile in the face of both rural and urban women in the country.
