By Hassan Zaggi
Since the past three years (2018-2021), 1.2 million unsafe abortions, 2.8 million unwanted pregnancies and 16,000 maternal deaths have been prevented in 13 northern states of Nigeria.
Also, 1.4 million Family Planning users have been added and 6.1 million Couple Years of Protection (CYPs) were delivered.
This is the outcome of the implementation of the Women’s Integrated Service for Health (WISH) project which was implemented in the 13 northern states of Gombe, Bauchi, Taraba, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Sokoto, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Kano, Zamfara and Benue with additional social marketing across Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The project was implemented in Nigeria by a consortium of partners including Marie Stopes International Organisation Nigeria (MSION), Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), Ipas, Options and Thinkplace.
The WISH project was implemented through the support of Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) with the aim of supporting Nigeria’s progress towards universal Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
Speaking at the National Inception Meeting of the WISH Project Extension in Abuja, on Wednesday, the Country Director, Marie Stopes International Organisation, Nigeria (MSION), Emmanuel Ajah, disclosed that following the huge achievements recorded in the implementation of the project, the implementing partners including MSION, Options and Ipas have been granted a one-year sustainability-focused extension.
This, according to him, is to sustain the gains of the WISH project across six states of Bauchi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Borno, Kano and Jigawa.
While saying that the achievements surpassed the initial projection at the inception of the project, he disclosed that: “At inception, the WISH was projected to achieve 3 million CYPs, 670,000 additional users, avert 1,043,500 unsafe abortions, avert 1,213,200 unwanted pregnancies, prevent 9,700 maternal deaths, achieve 3,403,400 total Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) as well as contribute to global knowledge and achieve sustainability.”
Ajah explained that the one-year extension of the project in the six benefiting states of Bauchi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Borno, Kano and Jigawa, seeks to enhance government ownership of quality SHR services provision, supervision and leadership to strengthen the health system and institutionalise government ownership and leadership in the quality of care; drive national ownership and sustainability through improved policies, government financing, commodity security and public sector SRHR capacity and services; and ensure supportive SRHR policies, laws and regulations are implemented and/or are protected from regression.
He, therefore, called on the Federal Ministry of Health and benefiting state governments to lead the initiative in bringing about what he described as a real shift in quality assurance and sustainability of health interventions in the states.
The MSION Country Director commended the Federal Ministry of Health and the implementing states ministries of health for their role since inception of the project in August 2018 and its close out in 2021.
Speaking earlier, the Director of Family Health at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Salma Ibrahim Anas, explained that the WISH project was implemented in a unique manner in the last three years in northern states of Nigeria that have the highest burden of maternal mortality, poor child survival and lowest uptake of family planning.
She noted that the successful implementation of the WISH project would, no doubt, change the outcome of sexual reproductive health in Nigeria and that it has also focused on sustainability and triggered an extension which has been granted for the coalition to continue implementation.
“Under the department of Family Health, the FMOH has done quite a lot in the last two and half years despite COVID-19. It has strengthened us and enabled us to learn lessons in terms of the economy, our overdependence on donors, and we have learnt that when the worst situation comes, you are on your own and that we have to build a resilient health system.
“We also have to generate our local resources for domestic funding for family planning.
“We have positioned the sub-national level to take more responsibility for funding family planning commodities and other reproductive, maternal and child health services.
“We must ensure access to quality family planning commodities. There is also a need to have synergy and effective regulation of our work,” says Dr. Salma.
