Anambra state commissioner calls for proper sex education in other to reduce the high rate of abortion in the country

The Anambra State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Joe Akabuike, has advocated for proper sex education for students to avoid abortions and their implications

Reports  during `Performance
Monitoring and Accountability 2020 (PMA2020) Abortion Survey’ dissemination workshop for stakeholders in Awka, Akabuike explained that the objective of the workshop was to create awareness to relevant stakeholders on the outcome of `Abortion Survey’ carried out in some states of the Federation.

The commissioner observed that the peak age of abortion was between ages 20 and 21- the post-secondary school or early university age.
He called on youths to avoid abortion, noting that it could lead to injuries to the uterus, bleeding and infections.
Akabuike urged parents and teachers to provide adequate sex education to the young ones to help them to gain information and make healthy decisions on sex.
Akabuike expressed dismay over increase in abortion cases among women and called for proper sensitisation on sex and health education.
He thanked the group for the good job they have undertaken to save lives.
The Principal Investigator PMA2020 Nigeria, Dr Elizabeth Omoluabi, in her presentation, said that prior to the survey, more than six out of 10 abortion cases were considered least safe.
Also, Omoluabi continued, 11 per cent of women experienced complications for which they sought post abortion care at health facilities.
She also observed that from the survey, 75 per cen t of women in rural areas were illiterates and that those in the lowest wealth quartile were the most likely to have an abortion that was considered least safe.
“Most public tertiary and secondary facilities provided post abortion care but only 67 per cent had necessary equipment, medicines and other services.
“Based on self-reported likely abortion data, 19 per cent of women indicated they used multiple methods to terminate their pregnancy.
“Altogether 36 per cent underwent surgery to ultimately terminate their pregnancy, 7 percent used misoprostol and the remaining 57 per cent used unspecified medications or traditional methods for their abortions.
“We are in Anambra because we want all relevant stakeholders to be aware of the rate of abortion in the country and also partner with them in educating the female ones on the dangers.
“The major role that left PMA2020 outstanding among other
researchers is their consistency in bringing the results of this research to the public domain. That calls for intensified action by relevant stakeholders,” she concluded.

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