Family Planning: Group Decries Lack Of Support From Abia Govt

A technical platform with core focus on family planning, The Challenge Initiative TCI Abia State chapter says lack of counterpart funding by the State government has made it difficult to carry out its high impact FP interventions targeting Women and Men of reproductive age in the state.

According to TCI, failure of the state government to make available the counterpart funding required has made it difficult to penetrate to communities in the state.

Speaking with newsmen, the Service Delivery Technical Lead, Dr Okechukwu Opara, said TCI is eager to do more but absence of the needed support from the government has made it difficult to implement planned activities that were intended to benefit women, men and youths in the State.

Dr. Opara said those things the state government committed in a work plan that it would fund in the area of Family Planning should be made available as counterpart funding.

He said more activities can be carried out regarding family planning if the state can complement what TCI is doing through the release of funds budgeted for FP in the State 2021 approved budget.

The Abia Media Group on Health took a media tour to Isialangwa north and south on Wednesday to see some interventions being supported by TCI in the LGAs. Dr Opara while speaking on what he called 72 Hour Makeover which is about renovation of facilities in health care center said with the sum of N1.5m or N2m, renovation could be effected using local artisans.

He further stated that this will create a sense of ownership of the facilities to the locals, adding that the 72 Hour Makeover approach is efficient, cost effective, sustainable and encourages community involvement.

He explained that TCI has between 6 months to 12 months to stay in Abia to complete its Technical Support to Abia State and the length of stay is now dependent on the level of cooperation the state government offers.