By Nelson Utip
Dr. Faith Ireye, The World Health Organization WHO in Delta state has urged the state government and other stakeholders to look into the surge in cases of adolescent pregnancy among the girl-child in the state to reduce the dangerous trend. She observed that teenage is rampant in the state and should be controlled.
Dr.Ireye noticed that currently, four percent of pregnancies in the state is among adolescents.
The state coordinator of WHO stated this over the weekend in Asaba during a one-day programme organised by the Delta State Ministry of Health and Primary Health Care Management Board in collaboration with SFH, tagged: ‘DISC 1.0 State Level Project Dissemination’.
She called on the government to take a firmer decision to drastically reduce the menace by rigorously educating and alerting of the girl-child to the hazard of early and needless pregnancy.
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“If they have information, and are well guarded with the information at their disposal, it will be possible to crash teenage pregnancy below four per cent,” she said.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, lauded the Society for Family Health (SFH) on its Delivering Innovation in Self-Care (DISC) project aimed at expanding access to contraceptives by women in the state, noting that the meeting was necessary to assess the progress so far made, while discussing its impact and the way forward.
The Commissioner was represented by the Permanent Secretary in The Ministry, Dr. Philomena Okeowo, who noted that the DISC project is funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), adding that SFH has been a dependable partner with much impact.
“Society for Family Health has been a long-standing partner to the state having significantly contributed to the health indices of Delta State.
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“Over the past two years, the DISC project has been a beacon of hope and progress in Delta State, championing the utilisation of Sayana Press subcutaneous contraception to empower individuals and communities towards better reproductive health outcomes.
“Through innovative approaches and dedicated efforts, the DISC project has expanded access to contraception and also empowered women and families to make informed choices about their reproductive health, thereby, fostering a brighter and healthier future for our communities.
“While we reflect on the successes of the DISC project, let us also acknowledge the challenges encountered and the lessons learned along the way.
“Our collective experiences, insights, and feedback will serve as invaluable resources as we continue to navigate the complexities of reproductive health programming and strive to address the evolving needs of our population.”The Commissioner said.
The Deputy Team Lead, DISC Project, SFH, Mopelola Raji, in her remarks said that the project was aimed at changing the way self-care contraception was perceived.
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“The DISC project is a four-year project funded by CIFF and implemented by Population Services International and SFH.
“So, we have what we call DMPA-SC Self-Injection, our unique product; it helps the woman to amplify her voice and also promotes autonomy for the woman to be able to decide what works for her.
“Moreover, we have an innovation called the ‘Empathy Based Training’, where we train the providers to have the competence and increased capacity to coach women to successfully self-inject themselves.”She said.
