Sunyani West District celebrates family planning week

Dr Kofi Issah, Brong Ahafo Regional Deputy Director of Public Health has explained that Family Planning (FP) is not to discourage people from giving birth but to ensure families enjoy quality life.

He noted that FP coverage in the region is about 32.8 per cent compared to a target of 60 per cent and attributed the cause to poor physical and financial access to FP services.

Dr Issah was addressing a durbar to celebrate Family Planning Week of the Sunyani West District in the Brong Ahafo Region at Chiraa.

The theme for the celebration was “Improving Family Planning access, Role of Traditional Authorities” and sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

He noted that the poor physical and financial access could result in early marriages, unwanted pregnancies, drug abuse, HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), due to lack of information and education on reproductive health services.

Dr Issah called on stakeholders and traditional authorities to intensify the lobbying to include family planning services in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

“Traditional authorities should link up with other stakeholders including government agencies to influence legislation affecting women to improve their access to family planning methods and services,” he added.

Dr Issah urged traditional leaders to educate and implement positive customary rites, festivals and social gatherings to educate their communities on FP and help teenagers to abstain from pre-marital sex.

He expressed concern about the increase in the population since 1970 from eight million to over 24 million currently, but the land mass of the country still remained the same, causing over utilisation of national resources.

Dr Issah said FP is essential in national planning to ensure under-utilisation of national resources, improved living standards and development.

Educating the people on the Cholera outbreak in the country, he said 93 cases has so far been recorded in the region with two recorded in the district and urged the people to take precautionary measures to ensure their safety.

Mrs Rhodaline Conduah, Deputy Sunyani West District Coordinating Director urged the youth to abstain from pre-marital sex and focus on their education because education is the bedrock for development.

She entreated parents whose children were sexually active to seek family planning services for them to avoid unwanted pregnancies and its subsequent consequences.

Mrs Conduah urged the youth to be peer- educators and educate their colleagues on the importance of family planning.

Nana Yeboah Pene II, Queen mother of Chiraa advised men to encourage women to seek family planning services, to help them take proper care of their families and ensure quality life.