To increase access to hormonal intrauterine devices, a type of reversible contraceptive device, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has made the decision to support a wider contraceptive approach for family planning.
At the close-out and dissemination workshop on the completion of the Catalytic Opportunity Fund HIUD(Hormonal Intrauterine Device) project on Thursday in Abuja, Dr. Stella Nwosu, the director of the ministry’s Family Health Department, said this.
Speaking on behalf of the ministry’s Family Planning Unit Head of Logistics and Services, Alex Ugochukwu, claimed that many families had been inspired to adopt the HIUD method of contraception by the project.
Also, this project has significantly changed how family planning is positioned across the nation, particularly in these two states (Bauchi and Sokoto), particularly with regard to HIUD— it is for the client to choose.
Nwosu also praised EngenderHealth, the organization in charge of carrying out the HIUD project, for their dedication to enhancing the nation’s maternal and sexual reproductive services.
The nine-month-old, $250,000 HIUD project, according to Dr. Kabiru Atta, the country representative for EngenderHealth, was designed to encourage a wider variety of contraception methods in the states of Bauchi and Sokoto.
He disclosed that 230 healthcare personnel in the states of Bauchi and Sokoto received training to cascade the HIUD service delivery to 46 health workers from 44 locations.
According to Atta, the project sent secondary health centers HIUD insertion kits and anatomical models to help with the rise in service requests at the facilities.
He added that the organization successfully lobbied for increased government financing and was able to win budget allocations for the fiscal year 2024 in the states of Sokoto and Bauchi to boost the supply of commodities and the retraining of healthcare workers.
Sokoto boosted its family planning budget from N10 million in 2023 to N30 million in 2024, while the Bauchi State Government doubled its contribution from 75m in 2023 to 150m in 2024.
One of the project’s achievements, he continued, “is that we were able to secure funding from the states of Bauchi and Sokoto to purchase commodities, which addresses a major problem in Nigeria’s family planning sector.” With this financial commitment, we can genuinely assist them by utilizing a recently published guideline that facilitates the purchase of family planning supplies even on their own.
Dr. Adamu Sambo, the state’s commissioner of health, noted that women in Bauchi State have begun to accept the HIUD as a way to prevent unintended pregnancies and save lives, demonstrating the project’s influence and success.