Group Identifies Critical Family Planning Gaps In Abia, Akwa Ibom

A group, the Society for Family Health (SFH) has identified shortages of essential commodities, service delivery tools and provider training resources as major challenges limiting quality family planning services in Abia and Akwa Ibom States.

The Project Coordinator of SFH, Dr Eze Nwokoma, said this in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, following facility assessments conducted by the organisation in the two states.

Nwokoma said the assessments revealed urgent needs for critical commodities and resources, emphasising that addressing the deficiencies was essential to strengthening family planning services and improving reproductive health outcomes.

“These included the need for additional service delivery commodities; high-end insertion kits for trained providers; anatomical models for continuous skills development; and data collection tools to improve reporting,” he said.

He said SFH had responded by supplying a comprehensive package of family planning materials to the governments of Abia and Akwa Ibom to address the identified gaps and improve service delivery.

According to him, the materials included high-end insertion kits, procedure kits, pelvic training models, family planning registers, monthly summary forms, provider training manuals and family planning kits.

“These resources will support quality service delivery, strengthen routine data collection and reporting, and enable continuous on-the-job mentoring of healthcare providers.

“They will also ensure that health facilities are equipped to provide safe, high-quality family planning services long after the project implementation period,” he said.

Nwokoma said the materials were formally received by the Commissioners of Health and other senior government officials in both states on behalf of their respective administrations.

He said the state governments appreciated SFH’s continued partnership, noting that the intervention would strengthen healthcare workers’ capacity and support efforts to expand access to reproductive health services.

According to him, both states also reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining the gains of the collaboration and creating an enabling environment for future partnerships in the health sector.

Nwokoma described the intervention as more than the provision of equipment, saying it represented an investment in stronger health systems and healthier communities across the two states.

He added that by providing tools for continuous provider training and strengthening routine data systems, SFH was supporting the development of a resilient and sustainable family planning programme.

“The long-term impact will be seen in increased access to quality contraceptive services, better-informed reproductive health choices, fewer preventable maternal deaths, and improved health outcomes for women and families,” he said.

He said the initiative underscored the importance of partnerships between governments and development partners in advancing universal access to quality family planning services across Nigeria.(NAN)(