Family Planning: UNFPA delivers 118,656 condoms to C’River

IDONGESIT INYANG, CALABAR

The Cross River State Government has taken delivery of United Nations Population Fund UNFPA Family Planning Supply of 936 units of Implanon NXT and 118,656 male condoms.

The delivery followed the state government’s timely release of ₦22 million as counterpart funding, about 25 per cent of its total financial commitment to reproductive health logistics.

With this, the State has joined the growing number of states in Nigeria that now fund the procurement of family planning commodities from their own resources.

Receiving the commodities on behalf of the Cross River State Government, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, said that government has taken a major step toward strengthening reproductive health services with the official receipt of a large consignment of Family Planning (FP) commodities.

Ayuk, reaffirmed government commitment to improved maternal and child health outcomes across the state

According to Dr. Ayuk, “With this official handover, we are now fully prepared to commence the immediate deployment of these commodities to primary and secondary health facilities across all 18 local government areas of the state.”

Speaking at the event, the Head of Office and Programme Coordinator of UNFPA in Cross River State, Dr. Andrew Kirima, described the handover as a clear outcome of effective domestic resource mobilisation by the state government.

Dr. Kirima said, he was particularly happy that the state was able to release its counterpart funding,” adding “This places Cross River among states that have successfully domesticated this policy.”

In her remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Nursing Education, Mrs. Uduak Spencer Efem, highlighted the critical role of skilled health workers in maximizing the impact of family planning services.

Also speaking, the State Family Planning Coordinator, Mrs. Katame Triumph, expressed satisfaction with the arrival of the commodities, describing it as a milestone in the state’s reproductive health journey.