Kwara State government said it will continue to upscale male involvement in family planning for effective population control and improved reproductive health.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam said this yesterday in Ilorin, during the Kwara State bi-annual stakeholders coordination meeting organised by the Society For Family Health, SFH, in collaboration with the state government.
El-Imam explained that the society is largely patrilineal with the male as the head. There is the need for partnership and increase in male acceptance of family planning in Kwara and Nigeria as a whole.
She observed that there are significant challenges related to socio-cultural norms and misconceptions of family planning in the country.
According to her, men are the heads of the household and stakeholders in the conception process, while women cannot take unilateral decisions.
“By engaging the male population, the challenges of misconception can be addressed through culturally sensitive interventions and education.
“Kwara is recording progress in the area of up-take in family planning commodities across the 16 local government areas.
“It has ensured fewer maternal mortality cases, less abortion, happier families and reduction in poverty level among others,” she said.
Also speaking, the Managing Director, SHF, Dr Omokhudo Idogho commended the state government on its achievements in the area of maternal and child health care.
Idogho, represented by the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Malam Umar Adamu, said the organisation’s mission is to empower Nigerians with the knowledge and tools to lead healthier lives.
According to him, the goal is to achieve Improved Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, SRHR, outcome through the expansion of self-care solutions, integrating them as an essential part of resilient health systems.
