By Gabriel Chy Alonta & Lawrence
Nwimo
Stakeholders including health experts and media professionals have reechoed call for an improved family planning and maternal health in Anambra state.
They maintained
that effective maternal health was paramount in a society that desires increase
in the health and socio-economic well-being of families.
The brainstorming
session was organised by The Change Initiative (TCI), and took place on
Thursday in Awka, the Anambra state capital.
The event was
themed, “Improving Access to Family Planning Services Among Women of
Reproductive Age in Anambra State”, Orient Daily reports.
Speaking at the
event, the TCI Family Planning Coordinator, Mr. Aneotah Egbe, said the
programme was to support the trainings, supportive supervision, smart advocacy
and social mobilization towards improving public maternal health.
Also, the Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Vincent Okpala, said the state government had made provisions to ensure good family planning and free healthcare services in the state.
Okpala, represented
by the Director of Public Health Services, Dr. Uchechukwu Onyejimbe, blamed
faith-based facilities and private health facility owners in the state for the
high cost of medical services in the state, adding that some basic healthcare
needs of the people, were adequately provided by the government.
Contributing, the Executive Secretary of Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Chioma Ezenyimulu, appealed to Anambra state government to consider prioritizing the recruitment of more health workers in the state to improve healthcare delivery in the state.
Ezenyimulu said
there had been massive retirement in the health sector over the years which,
she said, had hindered progress of healthcare service to the people, while
calling on government to look out for replacement for health workers.
“As far back as 2018,
there was recruitment exercise done by local government service commission and
up till now, they have not released list of successful candidates”, she said.
In a remark, the
chairman of Civil Society Organization, Mr. Chris Azor, noted that security and
welfare of the people form the primary aim of any government, stressing that
government must ensure it take adequate care of the citizens by providing basic
healthcare for their safety.
Azor also called
for a sustained partnership and collaboration between the state government and
the private bodies as regards to providing basic health needs for the citizens.
He added that some healthcare services can even be subsidized if there is adequate
collaboration with private sector in the state.
Sir Chuka Nnabuife,
the managing director, Anambra Newspaper and Printing Corporation, had, in a
remark, urged Anambrarians to ensure they support the efforts of government
instead of relying so much on government healthcare interventions.
He told his
audience to be the change agents that will look out for means of contributing
to the wellbeing of the people in communities. He said the society must
appreciate the efforts of philanthropist who does well to provide free medical
facilities.
Resource persons at the event, Mrs. Chioma Okedo identified staff attrition, religious and cultural barriers, myths and misconceptions, poor funding, to hindrances to family planning, while Mrs. Ify Unachukwu of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), on the other hand, recommended that staff recruitment, and increased budgetary allocation be considered for improved healthcare service in the state.
Earlier, the Media
Focal Person for the programme, Mrs. Franca Madike, said the event was aimed at
sensitising the citizens in achieving goals of safe motherhood. She said sound
knowledge of family planning would help reduce number of women that die from
pregnancy and child birth related complications.
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