The Lagos State Government, through Health District III, has stepped up efforts to improve access to family planning services, with a focus on residents in riverine and other hard-to-reach communities.
The Permanent Secretary, Health District III, Dr. Monsurat Adeleke, said this when a team from The Challenge Initiative (TCI) visited her office in Ikoyi as part of a three-year family planning project funded by the Gates Foundation.
Adeleke said the project fits into the state’s efforts to improve reproductive health services and increase family planning uptake across communities.
She said Health District III already conducts regular family planning outreaches to take services closer to residents.
“The District regularly conducts family planning outreaches to bring essential services closer to residents,” Adeleke said.
Reaching Communities Beyond Health Facilities
Adeleke said the District was particularly concerned about residents in riverine and hard-to-reach communities, where distance and poor health-seeking behaviour can make it difficult for people to access healthcare.
She explained that taking services directly to these communities allows residents to get information, counselling and family planning services without travelling long distances.
The Permanent Secretary said the partnership with TCI would help strengthen the District’s existing programmes in Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki and Epe.
She also pledged the District’s cooperation with the initiative, noting that continued advocacy and community involvement would be important to improving family health outcomes.
TCI Targets Higher Family Planning Uptake
Earlier, the Country Director of TCI, Dr. Taiwo Johnson, said the three-year project was designed to increase family planning uptake by bringing services directly to community members.
Johnson said family planning commodities, including oral contraceptive pills and injectables, would be provided during community outreaches.
She added that the commodities would also be stocked at health facilities so residents could continue accessing them after the outreach activities.
“The idea is to take services directly to the doorsteps of community members,” Johnson said.
CHOs to Get Specialised Training
Johnson also said the project would train Community Health Officers (CHOs) in family planning counselling, health education and community engagement.
According to her, the training would help health workers have better conversations with residents about the family planning options available to them.
She said strengthening the skills of CHOs would improve service delivery at the community level and provide more trained personnel to support the programme.
The initiative is expected to deepen family planning advocacy and access to reproductive health services across communities covered by Health District III.
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