Govt pledges to improve family planning uptake

The government has pledged to annually allocate at least 10 percent of maternal and child health resources to adolescent-responsive health services in the next three years.

This is meant to improve modern family planning uptake in the country.

In a report released on Tuesday, the government has also committed to increasing modern contraceptive methods for women from 30.4 percent to 39.6 percent by 2025 and reducing unmet need from 17 percent in 2020 to 15 percent by 2025.

The government made the commitment to FP2030, a global movement dedicated to advancing the rights of people everywhere to access reproductive health services safely.

It has also committed to annually ring-fence 50 percent of the reproductive health commodities budget for modern family planning methods.

The government has also committed to improving the quality of Family Planning counselling among service delivery persons, community health workers, among others from 42 percent to 60 percent by 2025.
Eighteen other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have also finalised their FP2030 commitments. 

They are Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Togo. 

During a press briefing on Tuesday at the ongoing International Conference on Family Planning in Bangkok, Thailand, FP2030 released the latest data showing that an estimated 371 million women of reproductive age in low and lower-middle income countries are now using modern methods of family planning, 87 million more than a decade ago.

According to the report, one in three women of reproductive age in low and lower-middle income countries are choosing to use modern contraception.

“Contraceptive prevalence has steadily increased in these countries, but in 14 countries, the number of contraceptive users has actually doubled. The sharpest growth has been in sub-Saharan Africa,” the reports stated.

It added: “In the last year alone, women’s use of contraception in low and lower-middle income countries has averted more than 141 million unintended pregnancies, 29 million unsafe abortions and almost 150,000 maternal deaths.”

Dr Samukeliso Dube, the executive director of FP2030, said the new commitment “affirms the success in our new report: that a diverse global partnership, deliberately working together, can accelerate the use of family planning everywhere.”

“The benefits of family planning are enormous and have a multiplier effect. Family planning is the key to reducing maternal deaths; it is the difference between finishing high school and entering into early marriage and parenthood; and it can unlock a woman’s economic survival and prosperity,” Dr Dube said.

He added that 24 governments and 78 non-governmental actors—including civil society organisations, private sector providers and youth-led organisations have now made a public financial, policy or programmatic pledge to advance rights-based family planning, vowing to expand access to voluntary, rights-based contraception.

The United States Agency for International Development (Usaid) also announced a new five-year pledge to FP2030 of $15m (Shs56b) in funding.

“The benefits of family planning are enormous, and have a multiplier effect. Family planning is the key to reducing maternal deaths; it is the difference between finishing high school and entering into early marriage and parenthood; and it can unlock a woman’s economic survival and prosperity.  That is why we are delighted to welcome the announcement today of the Usaid’s decision to support FP2030,” Dr Dube added.

The FP2030 report also suggests that despite the unprecedented strain Covid-19 placed on national health systems and global supply chains, and throughout restrictive lockdowns, record numbers of people around the world continued to seek out and use family planning products and services.

“The scale of the Covid-19 pandemic was unprecedented and over the past 10 years health systems have been buffeted by a number of threats, including natural disasters, violent conflicts, epidemics of Ebola and Zika, political shifts and changing economic conditions,” Dr. Dube said.

Mr Jason Bremner, FP2030 senior director of data and measurement, said these commitments share many common priorities including improving service delivery for young people, increasing domestic financing, scaling up postpartum family planning and strengthening supply chains.

Speakers at the press briefing on Tuesday noted that meeting the growing demand for family planning will require continued efforts to understand the changing needs and preferences of women and their partners.

Issue

Dr Samukeliso Dube, the executive director of FP2030, said in many places, access to family planning services is under attack.

“Repressive movements around the world are threatening to roll back women’s rights, depriving people of bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom. Despite the overwhelming demand for family planning, the progress of the last few years should not be taken for granted,” he said.