Experts Want Family Planning Issues Tackled During Ramadan
Family Planning (FP) experts have said the on—going Ramadan provides opportunity to create awareness about Family Planning, saying it can help reduce maternal mortality by 40 percent.
Stakeholders who spoke at a public forum in Lagos said Islam permits women to utilize birth spacing services pointing out that the period from the inception of pregnancy to when the child is grown enough for another pregnancy is 30 months.
This according to them simply means that a woman needs to carry her pregnancy for nine months and use 21 months to care for the baby before having another pregnancy.
Kaduna state team leader, Nigeria Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), Kabir Abdullahi said FP saves lives and contraceptive can prevent maternal mortality by allowing women to space child birth.
Abdullahi however advised Emirs to use this Ramadan period to enlighten Muslims to support their wives to be healthy, ensure that every pregnant woman goes for antenatal care, deliver their babies at the hospitals and be able to use birth spacing services after delivery.
In the same vein, chairperson, Interfaith Forum, NURHI 2, Dr Ashiru Sariyu said there is need for religious leaders to educate their members on the importance of FP as a lot of Nigerians believe so much in their counsel .
Sariyu said, “We are in the month of Ramadan for the Muslims and as such, we have so many leaders that can help create the necessary awareness on FP. If we must reduce maternal mortality rate, then there is need to talk to the Muslims women, youths and husbands on the importance of FP.”
