The Challenge Initiative (TCI), an NGO, has sought the collaboration of journalists on scaling up positive changes in Reproductive Health and Family Planning (FP) activities in Sokoto State.
The State Manager, Devcom/TCI Project, Dr Bello Kilgori, made the call during the year three review meeting, media roundtable and planning engagement on Saturday in Sokoto.
Kigori said the meeting was to showcase achievements, review challenges, share experiences, and provide best ways to enhance processes and areas of improvement.
He highlighted that journalists have made contributions and played great roles on public awareness, on the field assessments of FP services and constraints comprising dearth of manpower and other delivery challenges.
The manager urged journalists to sustain the progress and advised government officials to offer them more opportunities to access information and realign the hitches highlighted.
Kilgori led discussions on different areas in the findings and offered solutions to some critical areas that need alignment, especially on family planning.
Earlier, the Director of Advocacy in the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SSPHDA), Mr Dahiru Qamaru, said adequate arrangements were designed to enhance FP services across the states.
Qamaru explained that more consumables and other needed items would be provided as well as recruit and retrain health workers that would manage the FP services.
“There is adequate supply of FP commodities and affordability. We are committed to our job and will continue to sensitise people,” he said.
He commended TCI, Devcom and media personnel on their commitment to FP in the state and assured more support from the government in order to achieve the desired objectives.
Speaking also, Musa Ubandawaki, the Media Coordinator of the project said journalists carried out field trips at PHCs, facilitated advocacy visits and door-to-door sensitisation to communities.
Ubandawaki reassured in the coming year, journalists would redouble efforts on FP awareness to encourage more acceptance and stakeholder’s commitments to the services.
Participants were drawn from government and non-governmental organisations,while discussions were centered on improved coordination, capacity training and creating visibility of FP activities.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defined FP as the use of different methods to allow individuals and couples to anticipate and attain their desired number of children.
It is also the spacing and timing of their births, achieved through the use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of involuntary infertility.
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