Gombe state Advocacy Group on Family Planning and Child Spacing said the state has recorded significant improvement in accessing child spacing commodity, as well as increase in Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) from 4 percent to 17 percent.
Chairman of the network and Executive Director of SAIF Advocacy Foundation, Malam Alhassan Yahya stated this while speaking during a media breakfast with media executives in the state on Monday in Gombe.
Yahya explained that Gombe state has in the last 5 years recorded improvement in the area of acceptance and subscription of women of childbearing age to child spacing.
“NDHIS confirmed that we have moved from 4 per cent in 2013 to 17 per cent in 2018. This is an improvement we have to celebrate as we are moving towards achieving the 22 per cent target by 2020,” Yahya said.
Yahya however called on the state government to make adequate provision and timely release of funds to increase access and coverage area.
He equally enjoined media managers to support the project by enlisting and feeding the public with useful information on child spacing.
“We wouldn’t have achieved what we are celebrating today without you the media men, however, we employ you to do more to save more mothers and their babies,” he said.
Also speaking, state focal person on child spacing Mrs Rejoice Bala, , disclosed that the state with the support of donor agencies, has embarked on the renovation of family planning facilities, adding that more equipment would be supplied after the renovation which will improve the services in the local service area.
She said there is a need to sensitize community members to get rid of mixed feelings and misconceptions about the project.
“We have made great efforts; we need to do more because the rate of maternal mortality is still high. There are unmet needs that need to be covered,” she said.
“We count on the state government to utilize internal and external opportunities, as well as, the release of budgeted funds for the project.
“We hope to see zero tolerance with zero maternal death in the state and when we come together all these high indices would be reduced to the barest minimum,” Mrs Rejoice told journalists.
