GHS evolve measures to make family planning more acceptable

Cape Coast, July 20, GNA - The Ghana Health Service (GHS) with support from its developing partners, is evolving measures to re-package Family Planning (FP) services to make it more attractive to the Ghanaian populace.

It had therefore organized a press briefing to pre-launch FP in the region and to solicit support to help make the services more acceptable to all to facilitate the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Deputy Regional Director of Health Services, Dr John Bertson Eleeza who briefed the media personnel, expressed concern about the high rate of maternal mortality as a result of unsafe abortions particularly among the youth, and stressed that Family Planning was an antidote to not only the health status of mother and child, but also the socio-economic development of the country.

He noted that FP was crucial if the country could attain the MDGs because it has not only health, but also social and economic implications, and emphasized that it was imperative for it to be well packaged, and incorporated into the health delivery system, to help stem the high rate of maternal mortality and school dropouts as a result of teenage pregnancies.

Dr Eleeza debunked the notion that FP was an attempt to stop people from giving birth but rather to encourage people to have a family size they would be able to cater for adequately, and space them to maintain and safeguard the good health of both mother and child.

He said malnourished children are always products of poor homes with large families, and re-echoed calls for men to embrace FP to make it more effective, adding that, FP when well executed could help build the country on a strong healthy human resource base.

Ms Evelyn Lamptey, Central Regional Coordinator of the Behavioural Change Support (BSC) Project, a four-year programme being supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), said three regions including the Greater Accra and Western were benefiting from the project.

She said Johns Hopkins University in partnership with CARE International were managing the project which seeks to help the GHS achieve health related MDGs in the country.

She said the main objective for the re-launch of FP services which would be done in Accra on August 23, by the Vice President, was to encourage the involvement of men in FP, manage side effects, and also to intensify national dialogue on the issue.

The Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe expressed the hope that the BSC project would help bring change in behaviour particularly of sexual exploits by the youth to stem unwanted pregnancies.