The Director of the Family Health Department of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Kofi Isaac, reiterated that despite high knowledge and training in family planning, myths and misconceptions remain a contributing factor to the low support of maternal health services, including family planning, in health facilities. He made this statement during the event to mark the World Contraception Day and the launch of the National Family Planning Week 2023 in Accra themed “Family Planning, My Choice, My Freedom”. Dr. Issah also called on health workers to integrate themselves into family planning messages and asked to upgrade the attitude of health workers in providing family planning services.
The country representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Wilfred Ochan, said in a statement that the Sustainable Development Goals affirm that the basic human right to choose and decide freely and responsibly the timing, number and spacing of children is essential to the development of families and the governance of any nation. He added that a 2022 study conducted by UNFPA estimates that for every dollar invested in family planning, the return on investment to families and societies is US$8.40 and further estimates that from 2022 to 2030, developing countries they will need to spend an additional US$79 billion to end unmet needs for family planning and preventable maternal deaths. Dr. Ochan noted that family planning is the foundation for sexual and reproductive health and rights, with multiplier effects on education, skills and employment, gender equality and health. He also applauded Ghana for including family planning in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) package as it will expand access and make use of different options for clients.
Speaking on behalf of the development partners, Dr. Frank Lule, health advisor for the multi-country task force at the World Health Organization, emphasized that “the declaration of family planning as a basic human right 55 years ago enabled women and girls to have the right to avoid exhaustion, exhaustion and risk too many pregnancies and pregnancies too close together’. Globally, the proportion of women of reproductive age who have used family planning contraceptive methods has increased by only 10% since 1990. This marginal increase is due to unavailability of services, gender-based barriers, provider bias, misinformation and on disinformation, among other challenges. He called for a concerted effort by all men, health workers, religious and traditional leaders, and the government to empower women to freely decide the number of pregnancies and birth spacing. Dr. Lule assured that the health sector development partners will continue to support the Government of Ghana in funding family planning.
Mr. George Akanlu, Country Representative for MSI-Ghana, on behalf of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Contraceptive Safety (ICC/CS), said that one (1) in four (4) women have an unmet need for family planning , which according to Mr. Akanlu, are linked to unwanted pregnancy, maternal death rates and all complications, which affect women’s health and mental well-being. She added that overcoming the barriers and inequalities that limit women’s rights is the only way to achieve true freedom with family planning. He pledged the support of the Interdepartmental Commission to ensure that the government’s 2030 sexual and reproductive health commitments are delivered. The event was also used as a platform to engage, at a high level, in an advocacy dialogue on domestic financing for family planning. The dialogue session was to help understand current family planning funding landscapes and identify options to increase domestic resource mobilization for family planning.
Source: Public Relations Unit