Step up campaign on family planning, experts urge media professionals

Dr Kafayat Ibrahim, the Coordinator of Reproductive Health in Kwara Ministry of Health, has urged media stakeholders to step up the campaign on use of contraception and family planning.

Ibrahim made the call on Wednesday during the opening of a three-day training organised by The Challenge Initiative (TCI) and Devcoms for media personnel in Ilorin.

Our correspondent reports that the programme is for media practitioners, social media influencers and officials of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on media advocacy for family planning.

Ibrahim described the rate of population of women in the age bracket of 15 to 49 years as contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR).

She said 27 per cent of this is the achievable target by 2030 as against the current rate of 17.1 per cent CPR in the state.

“Myth and misconception had discouraged women from accepting or accessing family planning services in many communities, and these have also denied the state from getting to the achievable level,” the coordinator said.

Ibrahim emphasised that stakeholders therefore needed to reduce the negative effects of myth and misconception among women.

“Some of the myth and misconception associated with use of contraception among women were identified as alleged infidelity and promiscuity.

“Others are permanent infertility, infertility due to use of condoms by men as well as reduction in libido of men who mate with women using contraception,” she said.

Also speaking, Mr Mayowa Adeniran, the media engagement trainer of Devcoms, said media personnel have a pivotal role to play.

He said this was more in encouraging women to access family planning services and playing down the myth and misconception.

Adeniran also advised women of reproductive age to use government health facilities for family planning services as against the use of quacks, to avoid negative consequences.