Family Planning Services Grind to Halt in Jigawa

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

Women of reproductive age in Jigawa State are struggling to access family planning services due to a severe shortage of commodities in most health facilities across the state.

This was revealed during a visit by media teams, supported by TCI and Devcoms, to various health facilities in the state.

At the Kafin Hausa health facility, Malama Nafisa Zakari Sallau expressed frustration at being unable to access family spacing services despite visiting the facility three times. “I’ve been here three times, but they keep telling me they don’t have the necessary commodities,” she said.

Another woman, Lami Usman, noted that the availability of family planning commodities has decreased significantly over the years. “Ten years ago, when I first used family planning services, there was no demand, but now it’s a different story,” she said.

Mrs. Hauwa Hamisu, a service provider at Kiyawa PHC, attributed the shortage to the high demand for family planning commodities, which she believes may be linked to the recent economic hardship.

“We’ve had an influx of women seeking services, some even accompanied by their husbands, which is a welcome change,” she said. “However, our last consignment of commodities was exhausted over two months ago, and we’re struggling to keep up with the demand.”

Mrs. Hamisu revealed that when she was posted to the facility in 2022, there was a large volume of unutilized family planning commodities due to a lack of awareness among women.

“We embarked on health talks during ante-natal clinics, and now they understand the importance of family planning,” she said.

The service provider appealed to the government and donor agencies to continue providing commodities free of charge, as the demand is extremely high.