From: Judex Okoro, Calabar
The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) and the Cross River State Government have concluded arrangement to adopt a new contraceptive method for family planning in the state.
It is known as the Sayana Press Provision.
Disclosing this at a stakeholders’ consultative meeting on the sustainability of DMPA-SC (Sayana Press) Provision, held in Calabar, on Wednesday, Commissioner for Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Inyang Asibong, maintained that the project would be sustained in addition to other approved methods of family planning for the overall benefit of the women.
She commended the Action Health Incorporated, UNFPA and other stakeholders for the efforts towards the successful take-off of the project in the state.
Also speaking at the meeting, Chairman of the Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Hon. (Dr.) Ekpo EKpo Bassey, lauded the efforts of international donor agencies especially the Action Health Incorporated, UNFPA and the state Ministry of Health in tackling health reproductive issue headlong.
Dr. Bassey appealed for a synergy between the state Executive Council and the House of Assembly to ensure that the women at the grassroots level benefit from the programme.
He said: “I see this programme as very important and I will not limit it to myself. I will take it to the Speaker to let him know that there is a project like this that will guarantee the lives of our women. This is a platform that we can use to address the health needs of the people.”
Also speaking, the Coordinator of UNFPA in the state, Dr. Joachim Chijide, said Sayana Press Contraceptive is so important because it is a better option in terms of injectible contraceptives.
Chijide explained that Cross River State is among the ten states selected to benefit in the Sayana Press Contraceptive in the country and congratulated the state government and the partners who have worked towards the success of the project in the state.
On her part, Action Health Incorporated (AHI) representative, Stella Shoneye, said the organization is passionate about promoting young people’s health and development to ensure their successful transition to healthy and productive adulthood, adding that they would provide access to the basic information, education, skills and services needed.
She said: “There is urgent need to promote and protect women sexual and reproductive health and rights in order to achieve their full potential. One of the major goals of the project is to present opportunities to expand voluntary access to Family Planning Services through introduction of DMPA-SC within the rights based approach.”
She hinted that six focal local government areas were selected for the project. She enumerated the local government areas to include; Calabar South, Akpabuyo, Biase, Yakurr, Odukpani and Akamkpa.
She disclosed that between November, 2016 and July, 2017, a total of 34,567 DMPA-SC commodity have been supplied to the state with 10,542 have used by clients while 14,044 were left in the store.