Maternal mortality stays a urgent problem worldwide, significantly in low and middle-income international locations, the place 1000’s of ladies lose their lives throughout being pregnant and childbirth.
In Nigeria, the statistics are sobering because the nation accounts for almost 20 p.c of world maternal deaths, with an estimated 512 maternal deaths per 100,000 reside births.
Stressing the crucial function of household planning in addressing maternal and toddler morbidity, former minister of well being and convention chairman on the eighth Nationwide Household Planning Convention, Prof. Isaac Adewole, highlighted the alarming maternal mortality charge within the nation.
He defined that over 19 p.c of married girls in Nigeria face an unmet want for contraception, typically leading to unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions, which contribute to maternal deaths.
In the identical vein, the chairman, Affiliation for the Development of Household Planning (AAFP), Dr. Ejike Orji stated that top fertility charges, coupled with low household planning uptake, contribute to poor maternal and youngster well being outcomes and exacerbate speedy inhabitants progress.
Nonetheless, household planning gives underutilised answer to this disaster. By enabling girls and {couples} to plan and house pregnancies, entry to contraception reduces the danger of issues related to unintended pregnancies, carefully spaced births, and unsafe abortions.
Research have proven that assembly the unmet want for contraception may forestall as much as 30 p.c of maternal deaths globally.
Contraceptive use permits girls to delay pregnancies till they’re bodily and emotionally prepared, lowering the danger of maternal mortality linked to situations like anemia, hypertension, and hemorrhage. For adolescent ladies, who’re at larger danger of issues throughout being pregnant, household planning offers a crucial technique of defending their well being and futures.
The affect of household planning extends past well being, stated Dr. Orji, explaining that each greenback invested in contraceptive companies saves three {dollars} in maternal and new child healthcare prices. “These financial savings may be reinvested in training, infrastructure, and different social applications that uplift communities,” he added.
Dr. Orji, who was additionally the chairman of the Native Organising Committee of the convention, described household planning as a transformative software that saves lives, reduces maternal and toddler mortality, promotes gender fairness, and fosters financial progress.
“It saves lives, reduces maternal and toddler mortality, promotes gender fairness, and in addition advances social and financial progress.
Regardless of its advantages, household planning uptake in Nigeria stays low. With a contraceptive prevalence charge (CPR) of solely 15 p.c and an unmet want for contraception at 21 p.c, thousands and thousands of Nigerian girls lack entry to the companies they want.
Obstacles resembling cultural norms, spiritual beliefs, restricted consciousness, and insufficient healthcare infrastructure hinder progress
In accordance with Dr. Orji, household planning programmes are making strides within the nation however challenges persist, stating that disparities in belongings formed by regional, instructional, and socioeconomic variations proceed to disclaim thousands and thousands of ladies and ladies the autonomy to make selections about their reproductive well being.
