According to Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre, the MDGs 4 and 5 emphasize very much on the wellbeing of women and children, however government’s budget allocation for contraceptives mostly used by women have dwindled over the years, without government giving any recourse to the consequences or the effects of the non-availability of those commodities.
Adopted by world leaders in the year 2000 and set to be achieved by 2015, the MDGs provide concrete, numerical benchmarks for tackling extreme poverty in its many dimensions.
Speaking at a Regional Reproductive Health Fair for Contraceptive Security in Tamale, the Executive Director of NORSAAC, Alhassan Mohammed Awal, observed that Ghana has a relatively well-functioning reproductive health supply system, which has been successful in making available a wide range of contraceptive methods to Ghanaians even in the most inaccessible and rural areas.
He said while this has ensured that Ghana remains a leader in the sub-region in terms of contraceptives supply, but it is still awfully inadequate.
Mr. Alhassan Awal stated categorically that, Ghana faces an ever-widening financing gap for purchasing of contraceptives and thus advocated for Ghana to take charge of her reproductive health supplies including contraceptives.
Revealing figures on government’s contribution towards the purchase of contraceptives from 2003 to 2010, he said it averages below 25% while huge support from donors’ ranges from 59% to 89%. Adding, “In the event that the donors pull out from this partnership, it means that Ghana is going to face a very serious challenge with regards to managing reproductive health issues which already is on the negative side.”
However, the Executive Director of NORSAAC observed that, there are government policies that support free healthcare for pregnant women up to the time of delivery and after delivery. Besides, government also provides free education at the basic level and has made some progress in improving the educational status of girls in particular.
Mr. Alhassan Awal noted with concern that, if family planning programmes were not integrated into these policies and programmes, it could be seen by adults or married people as licence to reproduce.
Meanwhile, reports released by the Northern Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service showed that, Copper T, Jadelle units, Trocas, Overette tabs, Lo-feminal, Micro G, Female condoms, Male condoms, Depo, Nongynon and Pregnon were the only approved contraceptives or family planning methods provided at the various hospitals across the region.
For the first quarter of 2011, 175,351 people mostly women according to the report used one of the aforementioned family planning products with male condoms, female condoms, depo, lo-feminal and nongynon being the most subscribed in the region. The cost of these products ranges from 20 pesewas to GH¢2.00. All the products can only prevent a woman from getting pregnant except the female and male condoms which play double roles in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
Chief Alhassan Issahaku Amadu, Northern Regional Population Officer who chaired the event also observed that, there was growing uncontrolled child-bearing and sexual habits among the people of the region most especially adults.
According to him, a greater number of women in the region gave birth to their children out of wedlock, and as a result a large number of these children grow to become irresponsible and hopeless due to lack of good parental care and guidance.
Quoting from the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) to buttress his point, he said only 6% of married women in the region between 15 and 49 years use contraceptives, adding that, strong sexual desire among adolescents is contributing to more teenage pregnancies which could have been avoided through the use of condoms and other forms of contraceptives.
Chief Amadu bewailed that, the number of children between the ages of 1 and 15 constitute about 47% of the total population of the whole region, and about 23% of young girls between ages 12 and 19 are already mothers or are currently pregnant. The average number of children per every single woman is 6.8% representing about 7 children per woman as against the maximum national figure of 4 children per a woman, he added.
Meanwhile, participants at the fair proposed that government should invest heavily in family planning and contraceptive security by legislating for the creation of a budget line in the national budget.
They demanded that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies especially those at the poorest areas of the country should create budget lines in their annual budgets to support improvement in access, quality and availability of family planning services.
The participants further asked that steps be taken by government to include family planning in the National Health Insurance Scheme package.
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