Women in Jigawa have adopted family planning as a solution to various health and economic challenges, but they are now appealing to the government and voluntary organisations for the provision of free contraceptives.

Some women who spoke with journalists at Kachi Primary Healthcare Centre in Dutse on Saturday, expressed concerns over the unavailability of contraceptives.

Adama Babale, one of the women, said the situation was troubling, as she had spent significant amounts of money visiting the hospital to check whether contraceptives were in stock.

She lamented that when asked to buy contraceptives from pharmacies outside the hospital, the pharmacy owners required patients to pay for both the services and the products, which were often more expensive.

“Some of them refuse to sell the products and instead ask you to come and obtain the services from them, while at the hospital; we get both the products and services for free.

“We want the government and other donor agencies to come to our aid because many couples in Jigawa are adopting Family Planning as a solution to many societal vices,” she added.

Another patient, Amina Abdullahi, shared her experience of being asked to purchase contraceptives from outside the clinic.

She lamented that expired products were given to her, prompting her to wait for the hospital to restock.

“I was asked to buy some items that were not available at the clinic. My husband went to get them from another place, but when they were checked, we realised they were expired products.

“So, I am praying not to get pregnant before the hospital receives a safe and free commodity,” she said. 

A service provider at the Kachi Primary Healthcare Centre,  Amina Sulaiman, said the hospital had been out of stock for the past two months.

“We feel bad when women react upon hearing that we are out of stock during our clinic days.

“Sometimes, their husbands get angry and remind us that the government announced free services and commodities.

“While some people buy from outside if they urgently need the services, others do not trust the outside market.”

Ms Sulaiman, therefore, appealed to concerned authorities to provide free commodities to alleviate the economic burden on women.

Many rural men and women in Jigawa state are aware of family planning services and have started utilising them for health, economic, and moral reasons. 

(NAN)