The Permanent Secretary, Osun State Ministry of Health, Dr. Isiaka Adekunle has admonished media practitioners and Information Officers to embark on public awareness programmes, showcasing the importance of family planning services and also help in dispelling rumors, myths or misconceptions about the practice.
He gave this charge during a-day orientation and familiarization meeting, organized by the Osun State Government, in collaboration with The challenge Initiative (TCl) , for Media and Information Officers in the State, held on Thursday in Osogbo.
Dr. Adekunle, who spoke through the State Family Planning Coordinator, Mrs Abatan Margaret Ololade, stated that the role of the media in promoting health matters among others, cannot be over emphasized in the society.
Mrs Abatan described family planning as a decision taken by an individual or couple on the number of children to have and when to have them in order to be able to cater for the family needs.
She further explained that family planning also assists infertile couple to be investigated and treated.
Mrs Abatan also disclosed that Osun State has designed robust programmes targeted at providing quality and comprehensive family planning services to women of reproductive age in order to reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy, unsafe abortion, sexually transmitted infections and maternal morbidity and mortality rate.
The State Family Planning Coordinator added that there are some experts in government circle equipped with modern facilities put in place to prevent unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and to reduce teenage pregnancy through the use of contraceptives.
Mrs Abatan itemized the benefit of family planning to include; unwanted pregnancy removal , health benefits and social empowerment, among others.
She thereafter affirmed that the media has important roles to play through sensitizing the public about family planning which, according to her, includes how to reduce child birth and the attached advantages and disadvantages of not having family planning.
In her welcome address , Osun Health Promotion Officer, Mrs Taiwo Adeniji welcomed the participants and urged them to pay adequate attention to the lectures in order to acquire the necessary knowledge that would assist them in creating adequate awareness about family planning.
She used the occasion to urge the adolescent youths to change from their bad behaviour.
Speaking earlier, the Team Leader of TCI, Dr Adebusola Oyeyemi who was represented by the duo of Mr Olatunde Raimi and Glory Omonafe stated that the Challenge Initiative major task is to support state governments to achieve greater self reliance, and to scale up Family Planning ( FP) and Adolescents Youth Sexual Reproductive Health (AYSRH) high- impact intervention, leading to sustained improvement in urban health system and increased use of modern contraceptives,especially among the urban poor.
Glory also remarked that the media is the most powerful establishment on the planet and that one of the services of The Challenge Initiative is to engage the media to educate youth on sexual and reproductive health.
