NGO targets 59,452 women with reproductive health services in Borno
Marie Stopes International Organisation Nigeria (MSION), an NGO, says the organisation has reached 59,452 women with sexual and reproductive health services in Borno between 2021 and the first quarter of 2022.
MSION Research Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, North East, Mr Jonathan Nachia, disclosed this on Thursday at a one-day meeting with stakeholders from the health sector in Borno.
Nachia said that the organisation has successfully averted 15,317 unintended pregnancies; 6,344 abortions; 5,719 unsafe abortions; 79 maternal deaths, and 4,581 mortality and morbidity, among others.
He explained that the organisation has supported 56 health facilities in 12 Local Government Areas of Borno under its health system strengthening efforts in the public and private health sectors.
He listed the councils as Bayo, Biu, Gubio, Hawul, Jere, Konduga, Kwaya Kusar, Mafa, Shani and Maiduguri.
He noted that it has trained 125 providers on Long Active Reversible Contraceptive (LARC), and provided reproductive health equipment as well as medical consumables to the public facilities.
Other support provided by the organisation included provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to providers and frontline staff and provision of clinical supportive supervision to trained service providers to ensure quality service delivery.
The Social and Behavioural Change Communication Officer, Mr Joseph Vandu, noted that the organisation was working across communities in Borno through community dialogue and male involvement.
Others are engagement of local community mobilisers towards creating awarenesses to enable women and girls have informed choice on their reproductive health that would support them to access high quality sexual reproductive health services.
He added that the organisation was working closely with both religious and community leaders to mitigate social and cultural norms hindering women and girls to access reproductive health services especially in the North East region.
“We will keep reaching out to hard to reach and crisis affected communities to ensure we support those who as a result of the current insurgency could not have access to these services and improve demand for modern contraceptive across Borno communities,” he said.
On his Part, the Permanent Secretary, Borno Ministry of Health, Dr Muhammed Ghuluze, while declaring the meeting opened, commended the organisation for supporting sexual reproductive health development activities in the state.
Ghuluze also commended the NGO for strengthening the capacity of some of its health facilities, training of health personnel and the provision of health facilities.
He noted that the state government was ready to partner with them toward improving the performance of the health care delivery system in the state.
