The Ekiti State Government and international health organisation, Jhpiego, have reaffirmed their commitment to improving family planning services and expanding access to hormonal intrauterine devices in the state.
They made the commitment at a one-day end-of-project dissemination meeting on the Hormonal Intrauterine Device scale-up, organised by the state government in collaboration with Jhpiego in Ado Ekiti on Saturday.
The Permanent Secretary, Ekiti State Ministry of Health and Human Services, Mrs Olusola Gbenga-Igotun, said the government was making efforts to ensure the availability of family planning commodities at health facilities offering the services across the state.
Gbenga-Igotun, who said the meeting reaffirmed the government’s commitment to collaboration, community engagement and improved service delivery, urged residents to seek family planning services from qualified health professionals at public health facilities.
She said, “Informed decisions on family planning can contribute to better health outcomes. The state government has made efforts to ensure the availability of family planning commodities at health facilities providing the services across the state.”
The ministry’s Family Planning Coordinator, Mrs Bukola Adekemi, said the meeting brought together relevant stakeholders, including frontline health workers, to develop strategies for sustaining and expanding H-IUD services.
In her address, the Project Director of Jhpiego’s Hormonal IUD Project, Dr Hannatu Abdullai, said the intervention focused on training health workers, particularly frontline service providers, to equip them with the skills required to provide H-IUD services.
She added that the project promoted awareness among women of the benefits of H-IUD, including its potential to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding.
Jhpiego’s Ekiti Team Lead, Dr Muriana Olotu, said the initiative was designed to improve women’s access to the contraceptive method and the services required for its use.
Olotu stressed the need for the state to sustain the gains recorded under the project and continue providing the services beyond its implementation period.
The Onise of Odo-Oro-Ekiti, Oba Babatunde Adebayo, urged residents to take their health seriously and adopt positive health-seeking behaviour.
The traditional ruler commended the state government and its development partners for the intervention, saying, “It will contribute to improving the health and well-being of residents, particularly women of reproductive age.”
Activities at the meeting included presentations on key findings and lessons from the H-IUD implementation, discussions on service delivery challenges and opportunities, and a panel session on addressing misconceptions, raising awareness and promoting community acceptance of family planning.
The meeting was attended by policymakers, government officials, programme managers, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, master trainers, local government family planning supervisors and frontline health workers.