Despite commitments to increase chances for families to plan their child bearing, new analysis of federal health budget has shown government spent just over N11 per capita on family planning, compared with the recommended per capita spending of N750 in 2014.
The shortfall indicates “absence of a sustained budget line” to help family plan better and improve quality of life for mothers and their children, said Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP).
A total N414.5 million appropriated for family planning in 2014 was less than 1% of total health budget and almost N96 million less than family planning funding in 2013.
“The share of what government provides for a programme shows priority,” said Dr Chinwe Onumonu, national coordinator of AAFP, in Abuja where the association disseminated brief of its analysis.
It warned continued underfunding would create persistent gap between government and donor funding, threaten development window for becoming a developed country and strip improvement of family planning status in Nigeria. Low use, low life quality
Up to 16 out of every 100 married women aged 15 to 49 want to use some modern family planning method but have no access.
And contraceptive use has hovered at 10% for the past 10 years with marked differences in rural and urban areas as well as by region.
While only 25% of married women in the south west currently use modern methods to plan their families, in the north east, only 3% of women do, according to figures from the National Demographic Health Survey.
AAFP also notes that family planning services are available in only about 20% of health facilities nationwide, and only few personnel are well trained to administer the methods for clients.
It said improving access to family planning could help avert some 1.6 million unintended pregnancies yearly, as well as 400,000 infant deaths and 700,000 child deaths.
A boardmember of AAFP, Sani Jabbi, a traditional leader in Sokoto, said creating demand for family planning in communities likely to be resistant should focus on improving quality of life of women and children, and their ability to make choices to contribute to a better life.
By: Judd-Leonard Okafor
Daily Trust News
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