The Osun State Government has pledged to maintain and build upon recent progress in family planning uptake, made possible through its partnership with the Non-Governmental Organisation, The Challenge Initiative (TCI).
Commissioner for Health, Mr. Jola Akintola, made the commitment on Tuesday in Osogbo during a stakeholders’ meeting themed “Sustaining Family Planning Intervention: Transitioning Osun Government to Self-Reliance.”
Akintola said the state’s collaboration with TCI had led to significant improvements in family planning services and community awareness. He emphasized the government’s determination to take full ownership of the initiative as it transitions to a self-sustaining model.
The programme, which brought together policymakers, healthcare workers, and civil society groups, focused on strengthening local capacity to continue providing family planning services without external funding.
The commissioner praised TCI for its role in building structures that have increased access to reproductive health services across the state. He assured residents that Osun will not backtrack on ensuring access to quality and affordable family planning options.
Akintola said the partnership had led to a significant improvement in family planning uptake, while the state government remained committed to prioritising family planning and reproductive health in the state.
“We recognise the importance of family planning in achieving sustainable development and improving the health and well-being of our citizens.
“As we celebrate our achievements and recognise outstanding contributions, I urge us all to continue working together towards a future where every individual in the state will have access to quality family planning services,” he said.
In her remarks, the State Family Planning Coordinator, Mrs Ololade Abatan, said 76,008 men and women had taken up family planning in the last three years of TCI intervention in the state.
Abatan said this was a significant improvement in family planning uptake in the state following TCI intervention.
Also, Dr Taiwo Johnson, Country Director of TCI, said there had been gradual, remarkable improvement in family planning uptake in the state following TCI intervention.
“As the state government was transitioning to self-reliance in family planning, TCI wanted to see more women taking up family planning in the state.
“After three years of TCI intervention, the state will now start to fund and own its family planning programmes.
“One of the things we mentioned when we started was that we wanted the state to reach the stage of sustainability.
“This basically means that Osun State will start funding and owning its family planning programmes after an average of three and a half years of TCI intervention to ensure the sustainability of the various achievements,” she said.
Similarly, Dr Olukunle Omotoso,
Senior Technical Advisor, TCI, Nigeria, said the overall goal of TCI was to achieve self-reliance by scaling up family planning, leading to sustained improvement in urban health systems.
Omotoso, however, called on the state government to increase funding for family planning in the state.
He said the demand for family planning in the state was high, but there was need for more funding for procurement of family planning commodities.
The senior technical adviser also called on the state government to recruit more service providers to replace those retiring to meet the demands for family planning.
He urged the state government to sustained the gains it had achieved in the uptake of family planning in the state.
