Family planning needs still unmet
Research has confirmed high "unmet need" for family planning in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of the number or percentage of married women who prefer to avoid pregnancy but are not using any contraceptive method.
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Although studies have shown that Family Planning (FP) reduces maternal deaths by between 20 and 30 per cent in Ghana, a multi sentinel survey conducted in 2011 revealed that the use of modern contraceptives stood at only 23 per cent. This shows that despite the almost universal knowledge about family planning (over 90 per cent), practice of contraception remains low.
According to the Ghana Demographic Health Survey (GDHS) 2014, the contraceptive prevalence rate for married women is 22 per cent for modern methods, while at the national level, 30 per cent of women have an unmet need for family planning.
Statistical profile
The World Health Organisation’s (WHOs) statistical profile on Ghana, also indicates that the total fertility rate (TFR) per woman is 3.9 as of 2013. The TFR of women in the country ranges from 2.5 births per woman in Greater Accra to 6.8 births per woman in the Northern Region.
As the first pillar of safe motherhood and essential component of primary health care, the WHO says family planning plays a major role in reducing maternal deaths, which is currently at 380 per every 100,000 live births in the country, and newborn morbidity and mortality, which also stands at 78 per every 1,000 live births.
To this end, the WHO is of the belief that family planning enhances efforts to improve family health. However, traditional beliefs, religious barriers and lack of male involvement have weakened family planning interventions in Ghana, as well as in many developing countries.
Accelerated action
In recognition of the importance of family planning in every society, ministers of health in Africa adopted a framework in 2005-2014 for accelerated action to reposition family planning on national agenda and in reproductive health services.
The framework, developed by the WHO Regional Office for Africa, in collaboration with its partners, called for increased efforts to advocate the recognition of the pivotal role of family planning in achieving health and development objectives at all levels, as targeted by MDGs 4, 5 and 6, which respectively relate to reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating HIV, malaria and other diseases.
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Family planning in Ghana
Family planning activities in Ghana started in 1961 when the Committee on Christian Marriage and Family Life of the Christian Council of Ghana opened the first family advice centre in Accra with the objective of offering advice to married couples on family planning and responsible parenthood.
This was followed by the activities of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) and later the establishment of the Ghana National Family Planning Programme in 1970 after the adoption of the Ghana Population Policy in March 1969. Since then, family planning services have become an integral part of the health care delivery system as well as a means for the promotion of responsible parenthood in the country.
Three main methods
The three main family planning methods used in Ghana are the short-term methods, which are the pills, condoms, injectables and spermicide; long term which are the Intrauterine Device (IUD), implants and intrauterine system (IUS); and finally the permanent methods which include vasectomy and female sterilisation.
Some of the policies and programmes that have focused on family planning include the National Population Policy of 1969 which was revised in 1994, the National Reproductive Health Policy which among other things also covers safe motherhood and family planning, and the Adolescent Reproductive Health Policy which aims at promoting the rights of adolescents to sexual and reproductive health information and services in a caring and friendly atmosphere.
Family planning and national development
As Ghana launches the fifth Family Planning Week, which also coincides with the World Contraception Day, on Monday, September 28, 2015, at the National Theatre in Accra, the National Population Council (NPC), together with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) of the Ministry of Health and its partners, is of the belief that the impact of population growth on the development of a nation is critical and worth noting as keeping the growth of the population in tune with economic growth enables development to take place.
This year’s celebration, is on the theme: “Family Planning: Know your options”.
The Programme Manager in-charge of Family Planning, Dr Yaa Asante, said FP was about choices and there were different methods that one could chose from.
The outfit, she said, makes all the choices available to its clients ensuring that it did not impose any on them.
Sufficient support
According to the NPC and the GHS, without sufficient support for FP, the quality of the population will be compromised. Again, it states that without the support for FP, the achievements made in the TFR of Ghana will be lost as evidenced in the current reduction in contraceptive prevalence rate.