It would cost $5 million to meet Nigerian women’s need for contraceptive services and maternal health care, says a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Professor Christopher Aimakhu.

Mr Aimakhu said this during the three-day training on Sexual and Reproductive Health for media practitioners in Nigeria.

“Fully meeting women’s needs for both contraceptive services and maternal and newborn health care in Nigeria would cost a total of  five billion dollars each year.

“That is roughly the same cost as meeting the need for maternal and newborn care alone,” Mr Aimakhu said.

Mr Aimakhu, who is the Secretary General Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), said that the budgetary allocation for family planning dropped from N1.2 billion to N300 million  in 2019.

According to him, decreasing allocations for family planning and consistent delay in release of family planning funds contributes to the low percentage of family planning uptake in Nigeria.

He said that investment in family planning would improve quality of care for current users and coverage for new users.

The expert said that family planning was an important tool in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies, reduced child and maternal mortality and unsafe abortions.

“If the unmet need for modern contraception in Nigeria were satisfied, unintended pregnancies would drop by 77 per cent from 2.5 million to 555,000 per year.

“As a result, the annual number of unplanned births would decrease from 885,000 to 200,000 and the number of abortions would drop from 1.3 million to 287,000,” he said.

Mr Aimakhu called for collaborative efforts of all stakeholders including not for profit organisations and civil society organisations to improve family planning access and uptake. 

(NAN)