Women have been encouraged to partake in the use of Post Pregnancy Family Planning (PPFP).
The advice came at a media forum facilitated by Development Communications with support from Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI 2).
Speaking at a media roundtable held in Lagos, Dr. Taiwo Johnson, Technical Lead, Johns Hopkins Centre For Communication Program (JHUCCP), gave an insight into PPFP stating that it would help in saving lives by promoting healthy spacing of pregnancies.
She said, “The PPFP Project will increase family planning use by reaching women and couples with family planning messages around and after the time of birth and save lives by promoting healthy spacing of pregnancies.
“It will help the woman to decide the contraceptive she wants, initiate contraception and continue its use depending on the reproduction intentions of the woman or couple.
“It will ensure that every women in the post-pregnancy period has made an informed choice about family planning before leaving the health facility.”
Dr. Johnson also said that: women are at high risk of unintended and closely spaced pregnancies during the first year following childbirth and proper family planning will help in preventing it.
She added: “It is one of the highest impact interventions to avoid increased risk of premature birth, low birth weight, fetal and neonatal death, and adverse maternal health outcomes.
“More importantly, it has the potential to protect and empower women at a crucial time in their lives, establish healthy birth spacing practices, and reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality.
Barrister Ayo Adebusoye, Chairman, Public Health Sustainable Advocacy, (PHSAI), also speaking at the media roundtable discouraged abortion asserting that it is unsafe considering the health implications attached to it.
He said, “In Nigeria, abortion is only legal to save a woman’s life. However, many women turn to abortion to terminate unwanted pregnancies outside of the narrow circumstances for which abortion can legally be obtained.
“From a public health perspective, we are most concerned about the least safe abortions, which can lead to life threatening complications. The maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria is high, with estimates ranging from 545 to 841.
Referencing research carried out on abortion, Barr. Ayo said 65% of respondent reported abortions were least safe, followed by 6% less safe and 29% safe.
He also expressed that respondents confessed to having complications after abortion.
“Additionally, 11% of women reported experiencing complications and seeking postabortion care at a health facility in the process of terminating their pregnancy.”
Maintaining that abortion in Nigeria is not only a public health concern but an issue of social inequities, he urged the government to regulate the health sector to reduce abortion and promote family planning.
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