The Enugu State Ministry of Health has disclosed that at least 239,795 families in Enugu State now have access to family planning services.
This information was shared by Jennifer Ladokun, the Regional Programme Manager for the Southern Region of the IntegratE Project, which covers Lagos and Enugu, during a meeting on the Enugu State IntegratE Mid-Project Dissertation.
This achievement was a result of collaboration between the state Ministry of Health and the IntegratE Project, which is made up of five partners: Society for Family Health, Population Council, An Impact, Nivi, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria Foundation.
Ladokun elaborated that since its inception in 2021, the IntegratE Project has provided women with more than 10,103 oral pills and 190,878 condoms to support their sexual and reproductive health needs.
Additionally, approximately 303 healthcare personnel and 105 individuals without medical backgrounds, like patent medical dealers, were trained and given medical support.
Recognizing the significance of sexual and reproductive health, Ladokun highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts between the five partners and the Enugu State government, as well as the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, in launching this project.
She emphasized that the project focused on enhancing the capacity of those trained to deliver quality family planning services.
Ladokun attributed the initiative to address the shortage of skilled healthcare professionals providing family planning services in Nigeria, with many seeking opportunities abroad.
This gap in the healthcare system motivated the training of medical personnel to meet the family planning needs in the region.
“We had an exodus of health providers, who travelled overseas and we had to train medical helps to carry out healthcare delivery,” Ladokun noted.
Professor Emmanuel Ikechukwu Obi, the Enugu State Health Commissioner, was proud of the partners’ unwavering dedication to enhancing healthcare quality in the state, particularly in sexual and reproductive health.
Through his representative, Mrs. Lovina Ene, he expressed gratitude for their tireless efforts, acknowledging the significant progress made since the program’s inception in 2021.
Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku, the Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Healthcare Programme, also praised the partners for their collaborative approach to addressing sexual and reproductive health concerns. She emphasized that the IntegratE program aimed to increase access to high-quality family planning services, ensuring that more people receive the care they need.
The IntegratE Mid-Project Dissertation Meeting was a crucial milestone, as it brought stakeholders together to share the project’s achievements and impact.
According to Michael Alagbile, the Chief Deputy Project Director of SFH, the meeting provided an opportunity for the project team to report on their progress and accomplishments since the program began.
He explained that the project had a profound impact on the community, empowering women and marginalized groups, and providing young people with access ” to quality healthcare.”
Through the project, medical professionals were trained to educate the community on various contraceptive methods, including , ‘injectables and implants.’ thereby promoting reproductive health and family planning.
He highlighted, “We are here to present our scorecard of what we have done in Enugu State in IntegratE Project. We started in late 2021. Today we are presenting what we have been able to do in the past years in Enugu State.
“IntegratE is about empowering communities, empowering women, then children to access quality healthcare.”
“In Enugu State, our focus is family planning and we are working with the community pharmacists. What we have done in Enugu is to conduct training and build capacity, train them on reporting and documentation. We trained them on injectables and implants.”
