The shortfall in the availability of Family Planning commodities and consumables across the primary health facilities in Akwa Ibom State, especially those at the rural communities, has heightened the health risks of women and girls at reproductive age.

A visit by our correspondent to some local government areas in the state revealed an increase in maternal mortality rate, teenage unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortion with the attendant poverty rate in those communities.

Data from the Nigeria Demography and Health Survey, 2018, showed Akwa Ibom as one of the States with an increased rate of teenage pregnancy, standing at 12% and with highest rate of abortion among young people of reproductive age.

The data also showed Maternal Mortality Rate, MMR, in the State standing at 520/100,000 live births.

Worried by the ugly trend, a family head in Ikot Ebom Itam, Itu local government area of the state recounted how they recently lost two mothers of three and four to childbirths, and cases of many other teenage girls getting pregnant and dropping out of school.

The family head who identified himself as Eteidung Akpan said he encourages his people within the reproductive age to take up family planning services to forestall some of the problems highlighted, as well as Vesico Virginal Fistula, VVF, commonly caused by early childbirth.

His words, “yes I’m aware of family planning and I always encourage people to take up the services.

“We are losing our daughters to childbirth complications and we are not happy about that. Just recently, we lost two women.

“Family planning reduces health risks on women and gives them more control over their reproductive lives.

“With better health and greater control over their lives, women can take advantage of education, employment and civic opportunities.”

Interaction with some young persons in the communities showed that lack of FP commodities in the facilities and demand for money from service providers before access hinder them from taking up the service.

At the Primary Health Care Centre, Ikot Oku Usung, Ukanafun Local Government Area, the situation revealed the existing gaps in the family planning services, as the facility lacked various types of FP commodities to enable clients make a choice.

One Abasiofiok who accompanied his wife for an antenatal visit at the facility expressed willingness for the wife to take up FP service after delivery but expressed dissatisfaction over non-availability of many options.

Also, Abasifreke, a teenager and expectant mother who came for an antenatal clinic, said she just got to hear about FP services and was ready to take up one, as she planned returning to school.

The Officer In Charge and the Family Planning provider at the Health Facility, Mrs. Edimek Emason Akpaitam while speaking said there was great improvement in family planning uptake in the area and attributed it to the efforts of The Challenged Initiative, TCI, creating awareness and outreach mobilisation in communities around the health facility and in the LGA at large.

She said due to the prevailing economic situation, many people in Ukanafun are taking up FP services but regretted the inadequate commodities and consumables.

At the Primary Health Care Operational Base, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of the state, Mrs Asindi Joseph, a mother of five who just obtained implanon method at the PHC, recalled that after counseling, she chose the method which has been working perfectly for her.

“It was my husband that brought the idea of family planning and now I’m enjoying it because I feel stronger, healthier and living well.

“It is not about the number of children that you have, but how you are able to train them.

“It is the best decision to take, it enhances child spacing, allows planning and enables me, the wife, to contribute to the family upkeep,” she told DAILY POST.

However, our correspondent reports that there are vulnerable and mentally deranged women roaming round the streets of Uyo, pregnant who may still need FP services.

One of them in her early thirties who traverses around Wellington Bassey way, Ibom plaza and environs, has fallen prey to heartless men who impregnate her almost on a yearly basis, with the whereabouts of the babies unknown.

Another mentally unstable lady, popularly known as Eka Udo in Uyo, but lives with her family, who gave birth to her third child could not identify the father of all her children.

When asked about the identity of the person that got her pregnant, she casually replied using Ibibio language, ”the road is open, and anyone can enter.”

That is to say that anyone can take advantage of her vulnerability and have canal knowledge of her.

It was gathered from her family members that she was later taken to a PHC to access family planning.

Meanwhile, The Challenged Initiative, TCI, a donor agency for FP services in Akwa Ibom has described family planning as a reproductive health right for every individual.

The Executive Director of TCI, Dr Taiwo Johnson said every individual regardless of age and status has the autonomy and access to plan their family, advocating that women should be empowered with right information and resources for their choices to reproductive health.

Meanwhile, Uchenna Ajike of MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices told DAILY POST that, “we do not believe that FP is only for married couples but the right of every human whether they are married or not.

“Let us not think that when an adolescent wants to access a contraceptive services they are committing a sin. It’s just like their right to access services in the cure of malaria, tuberculosis etc.”

A visit to some health centers in the state revealed a low access to FP services.

This could be due to poor sensitization and lack of adequate commodities and consumables in some facilities.

According to FP Cordinator in the State, Mrs Enobong Eshiet, Akwa Ibom has 32 percent of unmet need for family planning.

According to her, “Unmet need means there are women who have need for family planning services but most of them don’t know where to access them. We need all hands to be on deck to ensure these needs are met.”

She said family planning services in Akwa Ibom is highly donor dependent, as most of the commodities available in the health facilities are being provided by donor partners.

The Coordinator attributed inadequate commodities in FP clinics to lack of funding, saying that of all the approvals for FP services in successive budgets of the state, the government has not made a single release.

She disclosed that Akwa Ibom State is yet to make its contribution to the national basket fund as some other states had done, lamenting that such militated against supplies of commodities from the federal government to the state.

Her words, “Family planning services is more of partner dependent, we’ve been having approved budget in the state but no releases.

“When we found out the gap there, we constituted an advocacy core group and that core group is working out modalities for policy makers so that they see reasons to release funds allocated to family planning services. With these releases we can sustain our programmes.

“We were given a mandate in 2022 for states to start procuring their FP commodities because the national basket was no longer rich as it used to, as partners were withdrawing.

“Akwa Ibom State is yet to contribute to the basket and I hope before the year runs out something will be done so that if we request for instance 100 commodities they will give us but now when you request for 100 jadelles we may get 40.

“The quantity order shows what the state needs and the quantity supplied shows what the FG can give. They have to ration to other states but if we contribute, we will have in full.”