Family Planning: Federal Gov’t Targets Zero Maternal Mortality Through Strategic Interventions

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to achieving zero maternal mortality in Nigeria, emphasizing the role of family planning (FP) programs in realizing this goal.

Dr. Samuel Oyeniyi, Director of the Reproductive Health Division at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the End of Project Dissemination Meeting for the Catalytic Opportunity Funds (COF) Hormonal Intra-Uterine Devices (IUD) Scale-Up Project.

The COF initiative, managed by the Hormonal IUD Access Group, focuses on scaling up the use of hormonal IUDs in selected countries. In Nigeria, the project was implemented in Delta and Kano states in 2024.

Dr. Oyeniyi stated that achieving zero maternal mortality is feasible through targeted and strategic family planning interventions. “We need to put in more effort, be more strategic, and focus on intervention-driven approaches. For family planning, we must adopt new, high-impact practices and integrate them into our existing programmes to achieve significant results,” he said.

He highlighted plans to prioritise postpartum and post-abortion family planning services, particularly for addressing high-risk pregnancies. He also stressed the importance of leveraging innovative solutions to enhance the scale-up of FP services across the country.

In addressing maternal mortality, Oyeniyi underscored the need to ensure rural communities have access to FP services, including accurate information, counseling, and contraceptive options. He called on stakeholders to adopt all available strategies to maximise the impact of FP in reducing maternal deaths.

The Lead for Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent, Elderly Health, and Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) at the Society for Family Health (SFH), Mrs. Roseline Odeh, emphasised the importance of partnerships and collaboration in meeting Nigeria’s family planning target of 27 per cent contraceptive prevalence by 2030.

“Collaboration is critical. Over the past year, we’ve noticed duplication of efforts and underutilisation of resources in some areas. By focusing on priorities, we can optimise resources, ensure broader coverage, and reduce redundancy. This will enable us to reach more women in need of FP services, pushing us closer to our goal,” she said.

Odeh noted that the COF project has expanded the range of contraceptive options available to women, giving them more freedom to choose methods that suit their needs. She added that there is still room for introducing new methods to further meet the diverse needs of women.

Reproductive Health and FP Coordinator at the Kano State Ministry of Health, Dr. Umu Isa, revealed that the programme trained 110 healthcare providers across 10 Local Government Areas (LGAs). She noted that while the training emphasized hormonal IUDs, it also covered a mix of FP methods, contributing to improved FP indices in the state.

“The state achieved its objectives under the programme and we plan to extend the lessons learned to other LGAs that were not part of the initial project,” she said.