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Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Reproductive health officers across some communities in Delta State have decried the lack of consumables in their respective primary healthcare centres to meet the increasing demands for family planning services.
Those who spoke to health reporters during a working visit include the Reproductive Health Officer at Oleh Primary Healthcare Centre in Isoko South Local Government Area, Mrs. Atedez Aforke, and the Chief Nursing Officer at the Primary Healthcare Centre at Ekiugbo-Iyede in Isoko North Local Government Area, Mrs. Mario Akpono.
Apart from funding, the health officers said their centres lacked reagents including jiks and gas needed to sterilise instruments for pregnancy tests among others before family planning services.
Besides, they said the centres were urgently in need of commodities including male condoms and implants following the upsurge in the demand for family planning apparently occasioned by the sit-at-home order of government to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
Maintaining the state government position that family planning services were free of charge, they admitted that there were challenges of inadequate funding to meet the gaps on consumables which facilitate the service.
While commending donor agencies for supporting family planning services, they appealed to the state government to fill in the gaps created by inadequate consumables, saying that the demands often overwhelmed their improvisation.
Aforka who said the Oleh PHC was yet to record any case of COVID-19 said “as you know we have the surge in family planning up take during the lockdown because of family closeness and intimacy during the period.
“In a month, we record no fewer than 80 users from our list during the lockdown which is an increase compared to 60 and below that we use to have monthly before the lockdown.
“Our challenge is that of shortage of commodities, we had expected that the state would have supplied us but we are still waiting.
“We also have challenge of consumables, though family planning is free but in terms doing pregnancy tests to be sure before given the family planning service, we have to buy needles and syringes among others.
“We improvise, we cannot deny any woman of family planning services because she cannot forgive us if she comes down with unwanted pregnancy”.
On her part, Akpono said, “the up take of family planning in Isoko North has steadily rise in the area as new users come in monthly even during the period of lockdown
“Our monthly average of users is 20 with age brackets of between 19 years and 46 years with some of the women a single parent.”
