Kaduna married women patronise FP services in large number – Expert

From Mohammed Ibrahim, Kaduna

Family Planning Service provider said married women patronised their services more than young women in Kaduna state, North West Nigeria.
The head of Comprehensive Health Centre, Unguwan Maicibi, Hauwa Danladi disclosed this to newsmen during a tour to Health facilities providing Child spacing services in the state.
According to her, married women do visit the facility in high numbers daily.
The Nurse however stated that there is the availability of family planning commodities and consumables in the facility.
“There is an inflow of about 72 clients monthly to the facility mostly married women who come to access family planning commodities but when we run out of stock, we go to other clinics to get commodities”.
“ Young girls too that are interested do visit the fercility but most times we advised them against having sex before marriage. This is because it’s not ideal morally but we still offer them the service if they insist,” she said.
Hauwa also explained that they need new equipments to carry out family planning procedure effectively to their clients.
“We lack equipments like the sponge holding forceps, scalpels, kidney dish, dissecting forceps, scissors, speculum, hospital couch/stretcher, cupboard, Gallipots, virginal speculum, chairs and curtains”, she disclosed.
At Makera Primary Health Centre in Kaduna South, the Service provider, Zainab Mohammed lamented over shortage of trained staff on Family Planning.
She called on government to deploy more staff as she is the only provider that attends to about 120-170 clients.
“Though we sometimes have volunteers within the clinic, we still require trained staff on family planning procedures”, she said.
She said the facility is not provided with consumables, therefore, clients have to pay a sum of 300 naira to access family planning commodities.