GOVT URGED TO PROVIDE FREE FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES (PAGE 20)

THE government has been called upon to consider providing free family planning (FP) services under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Participants at a seminar at Sunyani on dissemination of a road map to repositioning family planning in Ghana, who made the call said, that would enable married couples to make informed choices and avoid unwanted pregnancies.
The participants also appealed to the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to assume ownership of FP and other population related concerns by allocating more resources as a complement to the dwindling donor funding for such areas.
The participants’ concerns were part of a number of recommendations they made at the end of the seminar organised by the Brong Ahafo Regional Secretariat of the National Population Council (NPC) with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The participants led by Mr Sylvester A. Agangmikre, the Regional Population Officer, resolved that they would reach out to traditional authorities, religious and youth leaders, among other groups, to rekindle their interest in FP campaigns as well as the implementation of sustainable plans.
They commended the government’s efforts to bring down maternal deaths through the provision of free health services for pregnant women under the NHIS, but cautioned that if FP adoption was not promoted, there was the possibility of increased child-bearing.
The participants expressed worry about the waning attention to FP issues in recent times, with emphasis being shifted to HIV/AIDS, stressing that stakeholders in FP must revive public interest on the subject as was the situation in the past.
A specialist in public health, Dr David A. Opare, who presented a paper on “Repositioning FP”, stated that “If birth intervals increased to 36 months in Ghana, infant mortality rate would drop by 27 per cent, under five mortality rate would drop by 23 per cent, deaths to children under five years of age would fall by 21,700 annually while fulfilling unmet need for FP, will avert 4,419 maternal deaths between 2000 and 2015”.
He explained that unmet need refers to fecund (fertile) women who do not want to get pregnant for the next two to three years (spacing) or women who do not want to have any more children (limiting) but are not using any method.
Dr Opare, who is also the Sunyani Municipal Director of Health Services, said FP coverage in the municipality increased from 36.1 per cent in 2006 to 38 per cent in 2007 and shot up to 40 per cent in 2008 as compared to the national target of 28 per cent for those periods, and described the achievement as “good”.
According to him, “Emergency contraception shall not be promoted as a regular FP method while abortion is not and shall not be used as a FP method”.
Dr Opare maintained that repositioning FP in Ghana would involve advocacy at all levels to translate commitment and political will into concrete action, partnership with district assemblies in funding to integrate FP services through a revised Community-based Health Planning and Services (CPS) programmes.
He said it would also involve national health insurance coverage, rebuild wider network of stakeholders, such as traditional leaders, religious groups, the media as well as the ministries, departments and agencies (Midas), among others.
Dr Opare said as a strategy for the repositioning of FP, there was the need for increased awareness of and commitment to the integration of FP as an essential tool of national health and development goals.