In Jigawa State, women have voiced their concerns regarding the lack of accessible family planning services at healthcare facilities across the region.

This concern was raised during the budget review for family planning, which was organized by the Jigawa Maternal and Accountability Forum (JIMAF) and supported by Women’s Integrated Services for Health (WISH). The event took place at the Manpower Development Institute in Dutse.

Malama Hauwa, a participant in the discussion, highlighted that the increased awareness campaigns about family planning had led to a surge in demand. Unfortunately, this surge in demand has not been met with an adequate supply of family planning commodities throughout the state. Consequently, many women are turning to Private Patent Medical Vendors for these services, which raises concerns about maternal mortality rates in the State.

Another participant, Halima, expressed that women in Jigawa State were increasingly refraining from visiting hospitals for family planning due to the scarcity of services. She appealed to the state government to consider annual increments in the allocation and disbursement of funds for family planning to meet the needs of the 13 percent of women of reproductive age who require these services.

During the presentation of the budget analysis, Isah Mustapha, a resource person, pointed out that the scarcity of family planning commodities could be attributed to insufficient budgetary allocations and disbursements over several years. This underfunding has contributed to the current challenges faced by women seeking family planning services in Jigawa State.

According to him, “from 2016 to 2019, there was no budgetary provision for family planning, while in 2020 – N10m, 2021 – N20m, 2022 – N20m and 2023 – N35m was allocated to family planning. 

“No release in 2020, N7.628m in 2021, N23m in 2022, and no release in the second quarter of 2023.”