By Ayinde Muhammed
The Challenge Initiative, Kwara state chapter has called on critical stakeholders in the health sector in kwara state to upgrade their support for the family planning program.
The call was made by the state program manager, Dr Adebayo Adefila at the kwara state media roundtable on family planning; tagged, Kwara family planning progress: sustaining partnership for lasting impacts held in ilorin on thursday.
Adefila who was represented by Mr Folusho Oyewale said the state recorded additional 17, 592 new users of family planning.
Dr Adefila while lauding the Kwara state government for providing a conducive environment and adequate facilities for the uptake of family planning products, noted that the state must do more in the provision of FP commodities in our health facilities.
According to him, condom, injection and implant top the chart for three family planning methods client uptake in kwara state in the last three years.
The Manager added that TIC has injected over N45 Million from 2022 to 2025 on family planning and has trained 65 master trainers, over 100 nurses and midwives for an effective family planning activities in the state.
As the TIC wind down in the state, Adefila identified stock out,user fee charges in private hospitals, Insecurity in some parts of the state and method preference as some of the challenges encountered in the course of their three years operation in kwara state.
In her welcome address,the state family planning coordinator,Hajia Bashirat Jatto,who was represented by Mrs Hajarat Olumo said the state has been ensuring regular procurement of commodities as well as high impacts training and campaigns to shoot up number of clients for family planning in kwara state.
In his speech,the chairman, kwara state Media Advocacy Group,Biola Azeez went down the memory lane of how the group came to been in February 2024,
“The TCI, in collaboration with the Devcoms organized a capacity training programme among selected practicing journalists in Kwara state.
The participants at the training programme were taken through advocacy, information and sensitization on family planning activities as well as methods to report carry out improved, data based family planning report in the state. At the end of the two-day training sessions, the participants were formed into an advocacy group, named, Kwara state family planning Media Group”.
He said since then, members of the group have been carrying out media advocacy activities in the area of family planning, aimed at promoting family planning methods among families and stakeholders in the state.
Azeez however, called for improved funding and more media engagement, especially to rural areas of the state, to achieve maximum results on family planning activities in the state.
