Expert warns against unplanned pregnancies
by Chima Azubuike
A consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr. Mohammed Garba, has warned against unplanned pregnancies, adding that with the current laws on abortion chances are that the woman would be operated by unskilled persons.
The expert with State Specialist Hospital made this disclosure shortly after a one -day religious dialogue on Child Spacing organized by the Gombe State Advocacy Working Group (AWG), with support from Pathfinder International, noting that child spacing would reduce the increasing rate of Maternal Mortality.
“On the issue of unplanned pregnancy, will reduce because if a woman is using child spacing, it will allow her time to have children when she needs it. The likelihood that the pregnancy will end up with induced abortion is high and if it ends in induced abortion because of the restrictive abortion law in this country the chances that it will end in unsafe abortion is also high.
“Once it ends in unsafe abortion, can cause sequelae which may include injuries, bleeding because it was done by someone who does not have the skill or is not done in a place certified as medically capable for the procedure. It may result in irregular menstruation, infertility, chronic pelvic pain. So , child birth space methods will help reduce unintended pregnancies,” he said.
According to him, The essence of the dialogue is geared towards educating the people about child spacing, and how it would reduce maternal mortality.
He added, “Because child spacing helps in reducing maternal mortality by helping to reduce the number of pregnancy because it is when the woman is pregnant that she will have problem and die as a result of the pregnancy. If child spacing is adopted it will prevent pregnancy at that time then she will not die of complications.
“On a long term basis there is reduction in maternal mortality rate because of child spacing. If you look at the children that she has they will derive certain benefit because they will have enough time to give them instead of battling with pregnancies that happens frequently. There is what you call too frequent, too many because attention will be on the pregnancy than on the children. Children need more care from their mother than their fathers. This will help to improve the survival of their children.”
Commenting on the role of health workers in the uptake of child spacing, Garba called for regular trainings that would allow for proper support to clients.
According to him, “People trained to offer the services should be the ones to offer it and not people who are not qualified. This is because at the end, clients end up having problems with the method because it failed then have an unintended pregnancies that will end up with it own Sequelae.”
Also speaking,Mohammed Abubakar, from the Federal University of Kashere, who is also chief Imam in Kumbiya-Kumbiya Gombe State, said the issue of child spacing is contemporary, adding that Islam supports it.
“You know Islam is compatible with every contemporary issue like this and it is has an answer for every problem that may come up in the world. Therefore, I can say it is a contemporary issue. If you follow the things said in this type of gathering you will be guided. Child spacing is acceptable, it depends on the circumstances and situation. If you talk about birth control it is automatically prohibited in Islam,”Abubakar said.
On his part, Chairman Advocacy Working Group (AWG), Alhassan Yahya noted that through child spacing processes the state would avert death by 40 percent.
According to him, AWG, is assiduously working in that direction towards ensure that more people become aware in order to reduce the rate of maternal mortality.
Yahya said, “As you all are aware the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR), is 17 percent and 0ver 40 percent of can be averted through Child Spacing. The issue varies from funding, policies and visibility.”
He stressed that the state is currently faced with high haemorrhage, “by the time a woman delivers she continues to bleed to the point of her death. So, the need for sensitization advocacy and making government provide funding for child spacing services in the state,”he added.
