Group photograph of partners and stakeholders at the launch of the 2023 National Family Planning Week
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative, Dr. Wilfred Ochan, has emphasised the critical role of empowerment and informed choices in promoting safe and wanted pregnancies.
Speaking at the launch of the 2023 National Family Planning Week at La Palm Royal Hotel, under the theme, “Family Planning: My Choice, My Freedom”, the UNPFA Country Rep highlighted the importance of individuals having choices and the freedom to exercise their rights to decide when, how, and the spacing of their births.
The event, which was organized by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in collaboration with the UNFPA, MSI Ghana, and other stakeholders, was to raise national awareness and promote family planning as one of the most cost-effective interventions for improving maternal and child health and also ensure socio-economic development.
Empowerment
Dr. Ochan underscored that such empowerment not only contributes to maternal and child health but also advances gender equality and sustainable development.
He said the launch will go beyond to improve awareness of the uptake of contraception to enable individuals including adolescents and couples to make informed decisions on their sexual and reproductive health.
He noted that family planning is not just about contraception; it is about giving people the power to determine the course of their lives, the size of their families, and the timing of their pregnancies.
According to him, “when individuals have the freedom to make these choices, it leads to healthier families, stronger communities, and a more prosperous nation”.
Launching the 2023 Family Planning Week, the Director of Family Health Division at the GHS, Dr Kofi Issah, explained that although Ghana had made some progress in the area of modern contraceptive usage among married women, but there are still shortfalls in reaching out to especially the youth.
“As we commemorate this week, our main objective will be to public awareness, acceptance of family planning, dispelling the myths and misconceptions and to advocate increased commitment to family planning as an essential component of national health socio economic development”, he stated.
Commemoration
Dr. Issah indicated that the commemoration of the week was to get both young people and adults to patronize family planning services in order to improve their reproductive health.
He further drew the attention of policy makers to improve investment and support in procurement of family planning commodities.
He also hinted that family planning had become a scapegoat for any health intervention in this country, which people don’t want to be interested in.
For his part, Mr George Akanlu, the Country Director of Marie Stopes International (MSI), an international NGO, emphasised the organisation’s unwavering commitment to the principle that everyone, regardless of their background, should have the freedom to decide when and whether to have children.
Mr. Akanlu underscored MSI’s pivotal role in advocating for universal reproductive freedom, aligning with the broader objectives of the event.
He bemoaned that several socio cultural issues across communities continue to hinder women and girls access to family planning services. He assured that MSI is committed to contribute to achieving gender equality and universal health coverage in Ghana.
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