By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus
The Kwara Government in collaboration with development partners have intensified advocacy for the integration of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights services with communicable disease interventions across communities in Kwara.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme is under the Advancing Integrated Health Services Delivery for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Communicable Diseases Project, has funding support from Global Fund.
Speaking at a sensitisation meeting with newsmen on Friday in Ilorin, the Executive Director, Hope for Family Development Initiative (HFDI), Dr Stephen Aremu, said the project was aimed at addressing barriers preventing vulnerable groups from accessing essential healthcare services despite ongoing investments in the sector.
Aremu said that stigma and discrimination remained major impediments to healthcare utilisation, particularly among adolescents, young people and persons living with HIV.
“Fear of being judged, labelled or socially excluded continues to discourage many individuals from seeking healthcare services when they need them,” he said.
Aremu noted that delayed access to healthcare often resulted in worsening health conditions, interruptions in treatment and poor health outcomes for affected individuals.
He also identified gender-based violence and violations of fundamental rights as critical issues undermining efforts to achieve equitable healthcare access.
“Many women and young people experience different forms of violence, coercion and discrimination that undermine their autonomy and ability to make informed health decisions.
“These rights violations reinforce existing inequalities and create additional barriers that prevent affected populations from fully benefiting from available health services,’ Aremu said.
The director explained that the intervention had adopted an integrated approach that combined sexual and reproductive health and rights services with communicable disease programmes to ensure comprehensive and patient-centred healthcare delivery.
According to him, the project covers key health areas including maternal and newborn health, family planning and adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
He said that other areas included cervical cancer prevention, HIV services, tuberculosis, malaria, sexually transmitted infections and viral hepatitis.
Aremu pointed out that the initiative also focused on strengthening referral systems, improving coordination among service providers and increasing community participation in healthcare delivery.
The expert on reproductive health said over 15,000 residents had received accurate information on sexual and reproductive health through community mobilisation and awareness campaigns.
“Through community sensitisation and demand-generation activities, we have reached 15,156 community members with accurate information on sexual and reproductive health and rights,” he said.
Aremu further said that 167 community and religious leaders had been engaged and sensitised on issues relating to stigma, discrimination, gender-based violence and rights abuses to enable them promote inclusion within their communities.
“The project has also trained 150 healthcare workers and community-based structures on youth-friendly and integrated healthcare service delivery,” he said.
According to Stephen, strengthened referral pathways established under the programme had facilitated 2,270 completed referrals between communities and healthcare facilities.
Also speaking, Dr Williams Awotunde, the State Team Lead for John Hopkins Programme for International Education in Gynaecology and Obstetrics (Jhpiego), said that improving the capacity of frontline healthcare workers remained a central strategy in delivering quality and responsive healthcare services.
He explained that healthcare providers participating in the programme were being trained to adopt a holistic and human-centred approach to patient care.
Awotunde said mechanisms had also been put in place to sustain quality service delivery in participating health facilities through regular monitoring and mentorship.
He explained that the programme was implemented by the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme of the Federal Ministry of Health.
“The initiative is being executed by Jhpiego in partnership with the Hope for Family Development Initiative across Offa, Asa and Moro Local Government Areas of the state,’ Awotunde said.
Speaking on the selection of the benefiting local government areas, Mrs Sharon Gabriel, the Community Engagement Officer of Jhpiego, said that the intervention was structured to ensure equitable representation across the state’s three senatorial districts.
She explained that the choice of the three LGAs reflected the three senatorial districts of the state, adding that this was still a pilot project.
“We are confident that we will achieve our set goals and objectives. Once that happens, we can begin discussions on scaling up the intervention,” she said.