The Katsina government says it is strengthening family planning services and access to contraceptive commodities to reduce maternal and child mortality.

The health commissioner, Musa Adamu-Funtua, disclosed this on Monday at a press briefing in Katsina to commemorate World Family Planning Day.

Mr Adamu-Funtua said the government recognised family planning as a key component of maternal and child health, nutrition and overall family wellbeing.

He said the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey indicated that modern contraceptive prevalence among married women in the state stood at about 6.7 per cent.

Mr Adamu-Funtua added that the prevalence of all family planning methods was about 7.7 per cent, underscoring the need for increased investment in awareness, service delivery, and commodity availability.

He said the government was taking steps to strengthen the procurement system for family planning commodities and ensure their availability at health facilities across the state.

According to him, the state government is also allocating dedicated funds for family planning and improving its data management system to identify areas with commodity shortages.

He said the measures aimed to ensure women and families had access to quality family planning information and services when needed.

Mr Adamu-Funtua said strengthening family planning would significantly improve maternal and child health outcomes and promote healthier families in the state. He called on relevant stakeholders to support the government’s efforts by raising awareness and addressing misconceptions about family planning.

Musa Abdullahi-Sufi of Access to Medicine Initiative and Sustainable Innovation and Development Solutions said the success of family planning programmes required a collective effort.

Mr Abdullahi-Sufi said government, communities, civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, and the media all have important roles to play in promoting family planning. He stressed the importance of birth spacing, saying it contributed to better health outcomes for women and children and improved household nutrition.

Mr Abdullahi-Sufi commended the Katsina government for taking steps to provide dedicated funding for procuring family planning commodities through the state budget. He said the move would help reduce the state’s dependence on commodities supplied by the federal government and development partners.

He also urged stakeholders to sustain advocacy and community engagement to increase acceptance and utilisation of family planning services across Katsina.

(NAN)