GOVERNMENT AT ALL LEVELS SHOULD PROVIDE ADEQUATE POLICY FRAME WORK FOR FAMILY PLANNING SAYS, JEGA

The Director said this will aid media practitioners to compliment family planning advocacy efforts through their reportage at the sub-national level, so as to reduce to the barest minimum the child and maternal mortality rate in the country

Penpushing further reports that, he said indications have shown that budget release for family planning have not been encouraging, adding that, “if the situation persist, effort to reduce deaths of women and children as a result of pregnancy related complications would not be achieved”.

The Country Director identified inadequate funding and logistics challenges among others from the Federal and State Governments as factors that have been affecting the uptake and free access to family planning services in the country.

 “There have been family planning services to Nigerians, free of charge in our public health facilities, thus, the government pledged that they will do more by funding the procurement of commodity in the public sector”.

Penpushing also reports that, he therefore noted that active involvement of government at all levels and other relevant stakeholders, including media professionals would help the country in achieving the targeted national blue print on Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR).

“We’re hoping that because of the very unique skills and privileges that you have will help us amplify our voices so that we will have better policies funding and more enabling environment for family planning programmes”, Jega said