Health care providers are very important for family planning and women’s healthcare

We hosted Dr. Anne who is a Public Health Physician. Dr Anne believes that “no woman should die on the occasion of bringing life” and so is committed to ensuring that women and girls have adequate information about their sexual & reproductive health to equip them to make informed choices that will safeguard their health.  

Hello ma, nice to have you on #FPFriday can you give us  brief information about family planning services in Nigeria?

Family planning is increasingly gaining more acceptance in Nigeria now compared to how it was in the past. More and more people are becoming more aware of the importance of family planning

However, family planning indices show adoption rate is still low on the average in Nigeria. For instance, 15 percent of married women of reproductive age (15‒49) are not using any contraceptive method; however, only 10 percent of these women are using modern FP methods

Family planning is a very sensitive issue; what is expected of the health workers when it comes to user’s privacy?

We need to distinguish between Privacy and confidentiality. Privacy has to do with the right to control access to oneself which could be visual privacy (protection from unnecessary bodily exposure) or auditory privacy (consultations should conducted out of earshot of others)  

Health workers Personal opinions, religious and cultural values should be set aside when attending to intending users of contraception. If not, users or intending users might feel judged or may feel like they are tagged.

"In family planning counseling is the right of client's to receive accurate information and make their own informed decisions about reproductive health care is considered fundamental"
 

How do Healthcare workers/service providers ensure a user is happy with the FP/Contraceptives counselling they receive?

FP service providers should at every point in time ensure that they offer the best care to their clients based on sound professional judgment irrespective of their own personal opinions.

Tips to ensure clients are happy with FP counselling

- Providers should not be in a rush-Make the environment comfortable and ensure privacy

- Explain fully the various FP methods and allow clients express themselves and ask questions.

Users sometimes require emergency Family planning procedures; how do we ascertain that health care workers provide daily services and not just once in a week service?

The family planning policy in Nigeria does not support operating family planning on clinic day basis but rather offering FP services on daily basis so both routine and emergency clients will have access. Public health facilities run daily FP services.

How often do FP service providers get trained on all the FP methods and provision of its services?

RH/ FP training is integrated in pre-service curricular of all health workers. It is expected that service providers in both public and private health facilities be engaged to undergo in-service training with regular updating of knowledge and skills

Trained staff are also expected to transfer knowledge and skills to their colleagues (On-the-Job training) 

What happens when a health care personal perception/ religious belief does not involve taking or giving FP?

A provider may not want to offer a teenage girl contraceptive simply because she believes that it is against her religious or moral values. The resultant effect is that same girl that is refused contraceptives may still go ahead TO have unprotected sex & get pregnant

When service providers bring in their religious background to the workplace. This usually influences whether or not they provide services as well as the type of methods offered the client

  It is said that most primary health centres provide FP services, do general hospitals provide FP services too?

Yes General Hospitals also provide FP services usually as a unit under the O&G Department

What advice/recommendation do you have for health care workers providing FP services

In addressing the attitude of FP service providers, the following should be considered

1-       Provide them with regular evidence-base information and training

2-       Trained providers can influence the others and mentor them

FP service providers should at every point in time ensure that they offer the best care to their clients based on sound professional judgment irrespective of their own personal opinions

Promote doing well i.e. what will benefit the client rather than avoiding harm. Let’s note that these providers are humans with their own values so we should rather support them to make them better rather than blaming them

#FPFriday is a twitter conversation hosted every fortnight to discuss issues around Family Planning and Maternal Health. Join the conversation.

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Balogun Fausiat (C) Founder Healthcommunicators Media content provider, Trainer & consultant, Communication4Development, Social Media Influencer

Catch me on Twitter @HealthcommNG

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