…A situation reminiscent of bighting hardship.
by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Apparently, owing to increase in the severity of hardship currently being faced in the country, parents – especially mothers – with desperation have began queuing-up on self and voluntary family planning, their daughters and single ladies in Kaduna Primary Healthcare Centres.
This is against past history, when mothers and young ladies openly rejected family planning programs targeted at them for birth control by health-related agencies, CSOs and NGOs to avoid bearing children without enough resources to train them.
Our correspondent reported that even female students and pupils of post primary and primary schools are not left out of the development, as many of them were found queuing-up openly for self and voluntary family planning at primary health facilities across the state, majorly in Kaduna South, in order to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
Findings revealed that, while some mothers, daughters and single ladies are taking planning for months, some are reportedly taking it for a year and above at government primary health facility located “under bridge” in Sabon Tasha in Kaduna South in particular.
An expert-cum Medical Doctor, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the information, adding that women and girls are trying to avoid unwanted pregnancy, while both men and women are afraid of giving birth due to hardship.
Accordingly, he also revealed that the young people are also afraid to even marry for lack of resources to handle family responsibilities under the current economic downturn.
Most of the patients approached for comment declined outrightly. A woman, who spoke to our reporter in confidence, however, said that her husband is fully in support of the family planning after God blessed their family with four healthy children.
Further investigation uncovered that the turnout has never been so encouraging and openly like now since inception to family planning health system began in Nigeria, with the public appealing to government to provide support by ensuring supply and availability of the commodity at affordable rate.