Take reproductive health serious, official advises female residents
Mombasa has urged women of child-bearing age to take family planning and reproductive health guidance seriously to avert maternal deaths and infant mortality.
Chief Officer Public Health Aisha Abubakar said sexual reproduction and health needs of young women have been neglected during the Covid-19 outbreak.
“The Covid-19 pandemic is having potentially catastrophic secondary impacts on the health of women and girls around the world,and here in Mombasa it’s not exceptional and to avoid unwanted pregnancies ,and maternal deaths we as advocate for women to seek for this services both in private and public hospitals,” she said.
She further said women should not shy away, from accessing family planning services during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Most of our women are at home, and since the government efforts are more focused on Fighting Covid 19,l et’s us not also forget to seek for key services in relation to sexual reproductive health,”said Ababukar.
In recent survey released by a nongovernmental organisation in Mombasa,indicated that women from the ages of 19 to 34 years had stopped seeking for health productive services.
Stretches youth organisation, liason officer Rebecca Achieng said that the government had concentrated it’s efforts in fighting Covid-19,and forgotten other key services.
“Most women from that age, group are now carrying unwanted pregnancies since the government forgot that,services like family planning should be more accessible since people are holed up at home with a lot of free time,”she said.
She noted that the county should,put in place measures to cater for increased numbers of pregnant women in the near future,to avoid maternal deaths.
