Expert urges Lagos state on establishing sexual reproductive centres

A Reproductive Health Specialist, Dr Omolaso Omosehin, has urged the Lagos State Government to establish youth-friendly centres and young mums clinics in rural areas of the state. Omosehin, former Head of, the Lagos Liaison Office, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said this during the World Population Day celebration on Monday in Lagos.

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He said this while speaking on the topic: “Focuses on how to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls, and putting the breaks on COVID-19”.

The programme was organised by UNFPA and the Lagos Bureau of Statistics, a department in the state’s Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget (MEPB).

Youth-friendly centres are under the Hello Lagos Project, an Adolescent/Youth Sexual Reproductive Health Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, initiated in 2002, funded and supported by the UNFPA.

The youth-friendly centre and young mums clinics aim to address the challenges of teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, unsafe pregnancies, and after-school coaching, among others.

Omosehin noted that collaborative and strategic efforts should be intensified to promote safe sexual practices among youths, especially in rural areas where the centres and clinics are nonexistent.

He also appealed to the state to effectively regulate the activities of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) to ensure they assist improve maternal health care and not cause havoc to the system.

Omosehin commended the state for making significant progress in the sexual and reproductive health of women and girls, notable was the provision of reproductive health as part of primary offerings in health insurance.

The expert listed the purchase and distribution of contraceptives, prevention and management of gender-based violence, and provision of mother and child centres in each local government, among others.

According to him, the health of women and girls is linked to their human rights. “Every individual should be able to decide freely the number, spacing and timing of their children. Collectively, we must guarantee the ability to make reproductive and sexual health decisions free from discrimination, coercion and violence. The services that help us reach these goals must be affordable, accessible and meet international standards of quality,” he said.

Omosehin also attributed the violation of women’s sexual reproductive health and rights to societal beliefs and values, the patriarchal concept of women’s role in the family, among others.

He said that it could be tempting to conclude that population dynamics was the root cause of multiple, intersecting challenges facing the world.

“Some blame dwindling resources and raging conflicts on there, being too many of us; others fear falling birth rates will leave the planet devoid of people, with ‘too few’ of us to sustain life as we know it,” he said.

He added that it should be guided by the World Health Organisation’s recommendations of strengthening health systems’ capacity, improving information for priority setting, mobilising political will and creating a supportive legislative and regulatory framework.

Also, Mr Ibrahim Obajomo, Permanent Secretary, MEPB, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to improving the health and right of women and girls.

Obajomo, represented by Mr Bayo Ogunsola, Director, Economic Planning, MEPB, said the state would do this through improved provision of comprehensive health services, empower them with knowledge and resources and create an environment where they can thrive.

He also noted that this would enable the state to build an inclusive, resilient state where every woman and girl can fulfil their potential and contribute to a sustainable future.

Wumi/NAN