Ogun embraces FG’s self-injection family planning guidelines

By Dada Jackson

Ogun State Government has embraced the Federal Ministry of Health National Guidelines for the Introduction and Scale-up of DepoMedroxy Progesterone SubCutaneous (DMPA-SC), a self-injection method of family planning.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, said this was aimed at reducing preventable deaths among women of child bearing age, as well as improving health indices.

He stated this while handing over the document at an advocacy meeting with delegates from the Federal Ministry of Health and Pathfinder International Nigeria in Abeokuta.

The Director, Reproductive Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Kayode Afolabi, said the materials would guide the state towards successful implementation of the intervention and recommendations, being the first among the 13 states selected in the country.

Afolabi explained that the self-care intervention was the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote and maintain health, prevent diseases, cope with illness and disability with or without the support of service providers.

“It was a reliable game changer for family planning because DMPA-SC self-injection will boost the Nigeria’s modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (mCPR) from 18.3 per cent to 19.5 per cent with additional 660,000 family planning users in 2021,” he stated.

He noted that the guideline could improve ante-natal delivery, enhance post abortion care and combat Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) including, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) , emphasising the need to improve on the mCPR of the country.

Coker while responding said the present administration  in the State was committed to reduce maternal and infant mortality rate to the barest minimum.

The commissioner pointed out that the state government had made huge investment in the provision and access to quality sexual and reproductive health for residents, adding that it had standardised primary health care service delivery, through renovation, equipping, staffing and digitisation of facilities.

According to her, the document will enhance health coverage in the state and the country at large, encourage task shifting and sharing policy, as well as make people take responsibility for their own care.

She said there would be a cordial working relationship with the Federal Government and other relevant stakeholders to advance the sexual and reproductive health of residents.