According to a news report from Business Day, Mariam Balogun, Family Planning Supervisor at the Primary Health Care Centre in Okelele, has disclosed that implant and injectable contraceptive methods are highly accessed by women in Kwara State.

She revealed this during an interactive session with the Investigative Media Team led by Sharon Gabriel of the Challenge Initiative (TCI) at the facility. Balogun emphasised that family planning is crucial for curbing the menace of unwanted pregnancies and maternal mortality.

She noted that all forms of contraceptives are available at the unit, with at least 20 clients per day and 300 clients per month utilising various family planning methods.

Balogun highlighted that family planning ensures the well-being of mothers and has significantly improved health outcomes.

Additionally, it promotes economic stability, educational opportunities, women’s empowerment, and the reduction of infant and child mortality.

“We have different kinds of contraceptive taken by individuals. Modern, hormonal, and surgical methods. The methods of contraception include; oral pills, implants, injectables, patches, virginal rings, intra uterine devices, condoms and the rest.

“All these are available here but our women mostly requested and accepted implant and injectable methods after our counsel to them.

“In the last six months, we have high turnout. We do have between 20 to 30 clients in a day and over 300 clients monthly. At times we have adolescent making requests to prevent unwanted pregnancy before the completion of their education.

“I commend the Challenge Initiative (TCI) group for immense supports through advocacy and enlightenment for our women to embrace birth control and ensure a healthy and productive family and the society at large.

“The social mobilisation programmes by TIC in giving adequate information and correct malformation about family planning in the society is really helping us.”

While admonishing the parents to encourage their wards to embrace family planning so as to start bearing children at appropriate time, she charged men also to access the facilities as they are not paying adequate attention to family planning.

In her submission, Isiaka Maimunat, Community Mobilizer explained that she usually advised women to do child spacing as it highly beneficial to the whole family. She disputed the notion that women may find it difficult to conceive after family planning saying, “there no stop to child bearing when woman is ready to conceive.

“I did it for four years and nothing happened to me. I got pregnant after the family planning, so; it didn’t have bad effect to extend of not getting pregnancy again.”

Sadiyah, a mother of three who visited the facility said she has being taking contraceptives and it is helping her to space her children the way she wanted.