Lara Adejoro Medical practitioners have urged stakeholders and the Federal Government to provide free pregnancy care and make contraceptives accessible to every Nigerian woman to help reduce maternal deaths. They made this call on Thursday in Abuja at the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Summit 1.0, organised by the Media Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria, with the theme: “A Choice for All: Freedom to Plan, Power to Choose.
” The summit was held to mark the 2024 World Contraception Day and International Safe Abortion Day. World Contraception Day, observed on 26th September each year, highlights the importance of contraception and family planning, while International Safe Abortion Day, celebrated on 28th September, promotes access to safe abortion care as essential for the health and rights of women and girls. The National President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, Professor Rosemary Ogu, emphasised the need for the Federal Government to increase funding for reproductive health and make contraceptives accessible.
“Contraception is a strategy to prevent women from dying, help them pursue education, and enable adults to reach their full potential,” she said. She highlighted that rural communities face significant challenges in accessing family planning resources, leading to higher maternal mortality rates. “Nigeria has a demographic bulge.
If we are all healthy, Nigeria can become the greatest nation on earth,” Ogu added. The Country Dir.