Hyelda Jesiel Yaduma
Stakeholders have reechoed the need for concerted efforts towards reducing death among pregnant women.
These are some of the issues raised during programs organized by development agencies in collaboration with the Adamawa State Ministry of Health and Human Services and the primary healthcare development agency to commemorate World Contraception Day.
Launched in 2007, September 26, each year is set aside as World Contraception Day, and the campaign centres on the vision where every pregnancy is wanted.
It seeks, among others, to increase understanding of contraception’s usefulness in the fight against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and unwanted pregnancies, which most often lead to high-risk abortions and maternal mortality.
As such, the series of events held at Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency in commemoration of World Contraception Day brought together stakeholders in the health sector, donor partners and the media.
The state executive chairman of the primary healthcare development agency, Dr Suleiman Saidu Bashir, explained that the aim is to enhance awareness of all contraceptive methods and enable young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.
With a theme “plan your future, plan your family, small choice, big impact”, Dr Bashir said the day is significant especially to women, calling on couples to always plan their reproductive lives, which is key to healthy living.
For the state reproductive health officer Tulhungu Uziel, the day seeks to raise awareness on the importance of family planning, which she said is vital to every woman, as it allows them to make choices in their reproductive life
There were discussions, lectures and the safe way to go into contraception in which stakeholders advocated for universal access to contraception and targeted support for vulnerable groups, aiming to improve maternal and child care, advance gender equality and support reproductive autonomy.
The peak of the event was a road walk to enlighten the public on the significance of the day from the agency to Jambutu primary health care authority.