The Family Planning (FP) Service Provider at Onne Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Cable area of Asaba, Delta State, Mrs. Juliet Opuefeni on Thursday narrated how the centre was able to handle the overwhelming number of pregnant women during the 2019 flood disaster.
As a result of the flood that ravaged the coastal communities, over 96 pregnant women and others thronged the Onne Holding Camp for temporary refuge, a development that led to the upsurge in the number of patients accessing family planning at the health centre.
Opuefeni told health reporters that the traffic was very high at the centre during the flood season, adding that healthcare providers were taking deliveries everyday.
The journalists were on tour of health facilities as part of a three-day wprkshop organised by a non-governmental organisation, Development Communications (DevCom) in collaboration with The Challenge Initiative (TCI).
She said the centre recorded an unprecedented number of over 200 patients coming for family planning services during the one month period that flood displaced persons were accommodated at the Onne camp.
“We had over 200 clients coming for family planning services from the IDP camp during the 2019 flood. The camp recorded 96 pregnancies most of whom were due for delivery. We were taking deliveries almost everyday. The number of patients coming for the services has dropped since then. In January, we recorded 29 patients. For this month, we have recorded 16,” she said.
According to her, the Cable Point area is largely populated by Muslims, adding that they usually take into consideration the patients’ religious biases.
She said most of those coming for the service already had up to eleven children, adding that during the period of fasting, they respect their belief and do administer the artificial method of family planning on the patients.
“There was a lady of 25 years old who already had eight children. However, before we administer it on them, they must have the support of their husbands,” she added.
Opuefeni also admitted some of the patients complain of side effects of the some of the artificial methods, adding however that such were immediately corrected.
“The side effects are few but if I receive such complaints, we will give them drugs to correct it. At times, we swift over to another method that will be suitable for their body system,” she added.
