SOLE Administrators of Local Governments in Lagos State have been called upon to make available and release regularly monthly imprest for family planning  consumables at the Primary Health Centres in the State.

Making the call during the last review meeting of the Lagos State Advocacy Working Group, LAWG, held in collaboration with Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), in Lagos, the group noted that family planning consumables are now free at the secondary facilities while some Primary Health Centres PHCs, have are beginning to make the FP consumables free.

Chairperson of the Group, Barr. Ayo Adebusoye, said this improvement partly due to their many advocacy visits to Sole Administrators of the Local Council Development Areas,  requesting imprest for family planning consumables.

“As a result of these visits, some of the Sole Administrators have started releasing monthly imprest for family planning consumables while others have made promises to release fund.” He said this means that soon family planning consumables  will become free at the Local Government level.

He noted that women in the State should know now that at the Lagos State secondary facilities such as the General Hospitals, family planning consumables are now free.

“According to a statement by the Permanent Secretary, Health Service Commission, the Medical Directors have started ensuring that this is in place. This is a big step in improving the uptake of family planning in the state”, Adebusoye said.

Commending the LAWG team for their effort, NURHI-Lagos Programme                                                                Officer,  Prince Adewale Haastrup, however admonished them not to rest on their oars, noting that there was need to follow up on the Sole Administrators and Medical Officers of Health  at the local governments to ensure the funds are released regularly as promised.

“Although family planning commodities are free in all the state health facilities, they have not been free at the PHCs and this has hindered many women from accessing the service. “From the first quarter of this year, we will be holding town hall meeting to sensitize the local government on family planning services”, he noted.