Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
A gynaecologist with the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Makurdi, Dr. Chisa Ugboaja, has decried the high level of unsafe abortion in Benue State and stressed the need for the state government to create a budget line for family planning as a way to mitigate against unwanted pregnancy.
Ugboaja who stated this at a one day interactive meeting with heads of media in Benue State organised by Center for Family and Reproductive Health Support Initiative (CFRHSI) yesterday, disclosed that a recent research revealed that 54,000 unsafe abortions occur in Benue annually with over 60 percent ending in severe injuries or even death.
“We want a separate budget line for family planning because the rate of abortion is huge and most of them end up in death while others who are lucky to be alive after abortion live with one scar or the other.
“Family planning is one of the cheapest interventions because it affects humanity in several folds. It has to do with planning the family by having the number of children when you want to have it. It doesn’t mean you must have a specific number of children.
Ugboaja, who is the Vice Chairman of CFRHSI, called on the media to partner with the center in ensuring that the state government keys into the need to create a budget line for family planning.
“Unmet need for contraception is huge hence the need for a budget line for family planning. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions around family planning, hence the need for more sensitization and awareness creation,” she stated.