How family planning reduces mother, child deaths

The issue of birth spacing resonated recently at different fora in Sokoto where concerns were raised over the high rate of deaths during pregnancy and child birth in the country. In Nigeria, new-born mortality rate is estimated at 37 deaths in 1,000 live births; infant mortality has 69 deaths in 1,000 live births; under five […]

The issue of birth spacing resonated recently at different fora in Sokoto where concerns were raised over the high rate of deaths during pregnancy and child birth in the country.

In Nigeria, new-born mortality rate is estimated at 37 deaths in 1,000 live births; infant mortality has 69 deaths in 1,000 live births; under five mortality rate 128 deaths in 1,000 live births; and maternal mortality rate of 576 in 100,000 live births.

“Family planning is a low hanging fruit for maternal health and its health benefits are very apparent,” said Professor Hadiza Shehu Galadanci at the 51st Annual General Meeting and scientific conference of the Society for Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Nigeria (SOGON).

Speaking on ‘Maternal and Child Health in a Challenging Economy’, Prof Galadanci who is the Director, Centre for Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Health Science, Bayero University Kano/Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, said: “If we achieve a Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) of 36%, it has been estimated that 22,000 mothers’ lives will be saved and 101,000 children’s lives will also be saved.”

She added: “It has also been estimated that 94,000 infants’ lives will be saved if Nigerian women increase their birth spacing to more than two years.”

Galadanci said Nigeria has a population growth of 3.3% with a total fertility rate of 5.5% while the estimated total population of the country in 2017 was 192 million which, she added, will double in 20 years and increase three-fold by 2050.

The medical expert who noted poverty as a driver for poor maternal and child health, pointed out that family planning has the potential of reducing poverty, hunger and averting 32% of maternal deaths and nearly 10% of childhood deaths.

“That is why the new agenda of Sustainable Development has SGD 3 Good Health and Wellbeing which includes as one of its targets, reducing the global MMR to less than 70/100,000 live births, ending preventable deaths of new-born and children under five years of age by reducing neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12/1000 live births and under 5 mortality to at least 25/1000 live births,” she stated.

Family planning was a central issue at the launch of the Sokoto Resources for the Awareness of Population Impact on Development (RAPID) during which the need was stressed for healthy child spacing.

The programme, which was organised by the state Ministry of Health and the Primary Healthcare Development Agency in collaboration with Health Policy Plus (HP+) Nigeria, underscored the impacts of population growth on development.

Country Director, Health Policy Plus, Onoriode Ezire, highlighted positive impact of healthy child spacing  on infant survival and stressed the need to increased public sector investment in family planning.

“The number of infant deaths per 1,000 births when the interval is less than two years is 122, more than double when births are spaced at longer intervals,” he stated.

He explained: “By using modern child spacing methods, the interval between births – shown to be directly related to infant deaths – can be extended. Short birth intervals, especially intervals of less than two years, substantially reduce an infant‘s chance of survival.”

Onoriode noted that by increasing public sector investments in family planning, enabling Sokoto to meet its family planning blueprint goal of 17.4 percent CPR by 2024, the state could save the lives of an additional 516 mothers and over 4,000 children.

“The health benefits of birth spacing are immediate. Over the next few years, many infants and children’s lives would be saved through an effective birth spacing programme,” he added.

He said less than one percent of women in Sokoto use modern child spacing methods compared to Niger and other Muslim countries.

The HP+ boss who noted that Sokoto’s population had experienced a six-fold increase since 1960, from about 800,000 people to 5.1 million in 2015 and an estimated 5.4 million in 2017, said Sokoto’s high population growth had been caused by a high birth rate stemming from high levels of fertility.

“In Sokoto the fertility rate remains at about seven births per woman,” he stated, stressing that more child spacing would lead to lower fertility and slower population growth.

High population growth, he said, impacts on various aspects of development including health, education and employment, adding that one of the most effective ways to manage population growth is by reducing fertility through a strong child spacing programme.

“There must be public support of efforts to reduce population growth by high level officials. Not only do these officials decide on policies and funding that affect population growth, but they also send an important message to everyone that reducing population growth is beneficial; it is an essential part of the health and wellbeing of families,” he said.

The Sokoto State Commissioner for Health, Dr Balarabe Kakale, said: “Family planning is family health, it is not meant to limit the size of families but about making sure the mother, the unborn and eventually delivered baby are healthy so that we will be able to reduce maternal morbidity and maternal mortality.”

The chairman, Sokoto State House Committee on Health who was represented by another legislator, Malami Mohammed Galadanchi, stressed the need to ensure full implementation of the RAPID tool in addressing the challenges facing the society on the issue of inadequate child spacing.

The Deputy Governor of the  state, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu, who launched the programme, said ensuring manageable population growth would assist government at all levels in meeting the needs of the populace in the areas of human development.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar II, who was represented by the Chairman Sultanate Council Committee on Health, Alhaji Malami Sheikh Maccido, expressed concern over the maternal and infant mortality rates in the country.