In an attempt to ensure decent and respective society it is evidently clear for a family to engage in reproductive health education as a gateway to proper family health care which includes family education, effective Healthcare system and many more.
Dr Fehintola Akintunde stated this during a technical session of a three day workshop organized by IPAS for Nigeria Association of Women Journalists in Lagos with a theme”Women Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights”
Dr Fehintola stated that time had come when pregnant women should desist from patronizing trado medical and soothsayers on matters related to their pregnancies pointing out that “A woman dies per minute globally as a result of maternal mortality”
Dr Fehintola stressed that if our pregnant women can only patronize formal Health Care Service providers so that the prevalence can be drastically reduced.
He implored Women Journalists to engage womenfolk especially those at the child bearing age on issues of women reproductive health, pointing out that “Our contraceptive prevention is less than twenty percent in Nigeria in accordance with latest statistics conducted by IPAS.
Dr Fehintola likewise highlights that for a nursing mother breastfeeding is not a guarantee to a family Planning method except that there is lactational amenorrhea which is lack of menses, even though it is a contraceptive method but the nursing mother has to vividly watch out for appearance of menses as women can conceive the very month the menses starts again after child birth.
Ipas country Director Lucky Palmer highlighted some factors associated with abortion mortality in developing countries as, lack of contraception access and use resulting in unwanted pregnancies, saying lack of access to safe abortion services contribute immensely to maternal mortality and also shortage of trained staff and equipment’s ,so the need for government to provide facilities with adequate equipment’s as well as trained their staff in this regard.
On their parts NAWOJ National Chairperson Aisha Ibrahim, who was represented by DNP Lilian Okonkwo Ogabu, expressed readiness to partner with Ipas in training women journalists across the Nation on reproductive health and domestic violence .
A participant and National Secretary of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists Comrade Wasilah Ladan expressed gratitude to the organizers and assured that they’ll step down the information to the womenfolk across the nation especially in the rural areas where due to so many factors, to even attend Antenatal or postnatal services is a herculean task because of the numerous family issues she has to attend to.
Ladan further stated that journalists will use the apparatus of communication for attitudinal and behavioral changes positively on matters related to the importance of family planning and abortion for the overall development of the society.
The workshop attracted women journalists from across the states of the Federation, including the FCT.
Wasilah Ladan
National Secretary
Nigeria Association of Women Journalists