Dr. Okobah Harps On Family Planning, Commends Gov. Okowa

As nations all over the world celebrated the world population day on Wednesday July 11, 2018, with the theme " Family Planning is a Human Right", The Chairman Delta State Primary Health Care Development Agency and Executive Assistant to the governor of Delta State on E-Health and Other Health Matters, Dr. Isioma Okobah, has emphasized the need for every family to embrace the Family Planning strategy.

Dr. Okobah was speaking today Thursday, as a guest on NTA Live programme and she spoke extensively on the issue vis-a-vis, when to commence family planning, the role of the government in family planning and level of awareness of family planning, among others. Her words:

"You start Family Planning from when you start having sexual intercourse. And the right time to start having sexual intercourse is after marriage. But if you must have sexual intercourse before marriage, then you should ensure you have preventive measures against unwanted pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). Therefore, pregnancy should be planned and our role is to ensure that every family becomes aware of how pregnancy should be planned. And it is on this note that I want to commend our proactive governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, because he has promised us that come 2019, just as there is a budget line for reproductive health, there would also be a budget line for family planning and that is a great step for Delta State.

"Over 80% of our People do not know that female child is equally as good as male child and the urge to have male or female child (as the case may be), make families have more children. There is a call for us to create the awareness and that is why in Delta State, the Primary Health Care Development Agency in conjunction with the ministry of health, we are ensuring that family planning is made known to all Deltans especially those in the rural areas. When we talk about it often, family planning will be known and the people will also know that their cultural belief or mindset hitherto, was wrong. Thank God We have the modern contraception for planning which helps to prevent explosion of population".

Speaking further on the role of government in actualising family planning, Dr. Okobah remarked that government could also do more to intensify the implementation of family planning by advocacy and creating awareness including social mobilisation, especially in the rural communities.

"Government has to come up with policies to drive the implementation of family planning and the Delta state government is already on that.
 We also have focal persons in the Agency. The focal person for family planning, makes sure that family planning services are accessible and also creates awareness and educate the people that family planning services are safe and can also help to reduce the financial burden on the immediate family"

Against the backdrop of the United Nations advice that every family can have children of their choice, Dr. Okobah reiterated,

" Of course you can have any number of children you want but you have to think of how to raise the children and that is where family planning comes in. So if you feel you can raise an army of children and cater for them adequately, then go ahead otherwise, limit the number of children and this decision should be reached by both the man and woman.  Even China some years ago, advised women to have only one child because there is need to plan a family.
So my advice to every family is to embrace the Family Planning as a strategy. This will also curb poverty, manage population explosion and also prevent mortality and mobidity. It is safe, free and accessible".