Why I Want Family Planning – 20 Years Old Mother of 4
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
Fatima Salma, a 20 years old mother of 4, has presented herself to access Family Planning (FP) services, because according to her, she is tired of the way she is giving birth so rapidly and can no longer continue that way.
Fatima, who spoke with journalists on tour of Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), support facilities in Zaria on Thursday, was at the Primary Health Care (PHC), centre Tudun Wada, Zaria in Kaduna State, for counseling and to register for the service, said she already discussed the matter with her husband.
According to her, she got married to her husband 7 year ago, when she was 13years and had since given birth to 5 children with 4 of them surviving.
She said, though she is still interested in having more children, but there is need for her to begin to create intervals between her children and also to help her own health.
Earlier, FP Provider at the PHC, Aisha Muhammed, had told the media team that there have been in flocks of clients ever since NURHI, intervene at the centre since 2013.
She noted that, on a weekly basis, over 100 clients do visit the PHC for various FP services and that because of high demands, they usually have shortage of implanor, used for implant in child spacing.
At the Gambo Sawaba General Hospital, Kufan Gaya in Zaria Local Government Area, Head of Nursing Department, Sefiya Magaji, told the team that, NURHI’s intervention has transformed the unit, which is now known by most women as “NURHI” unit.
“NURHI has been with us for a long time, they have trained so many of our staff, renovated the FP unit, and today we don’t need to beg women to come for FP services. Even some women come here with their husbands and the challenges here are minimal”. Added.
On her part, FP Provider at PHC, Babban Dodo, Halima NATO, explained that most of the drugs at unit are free from NURHI, and that has greatly increased the number of clients visiting the centre to over 75 weekly.
She however, appealed to the state government and NURHI, for expansion of the unit, because it has become too small for the number of clients coming in on a regular basis.
