Abia State Government has promised to ensure the sustenance and integration of the family planning project in its health care system in spite of funding challenges. Speaking at a one-day state level project dissemination meeting of the Abia State Ministry of Health in collaboration with donor agencies including Society for Family Health (SFH), Delivering Innovation in Self Care and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ngozi Okoronkwo, said the state would champion advocacy for states to start funding family planning projects.

She explained that the essence of partnership was to bring to bear issues in the health sector to be able to access available resources as in the case of HIV/AIDS. The Commissioner observed that 15 per cent budgetary allocation of Abia State Government, to health was evidence of the importance the government attached to health and urged participants to show greater commitment to utilise the allocation for the purpose it was budgeted. “We should look at increasing the number of local governments and facilities for the project.

Whether it is maternal mortality or issues about women, we want to advocate for states to start funding family planning,” she said. Dr Okoronkwo also noted that the state had made giant strides in the health sector with retrofitting of health facilities and free medical outreaches and assured that though, family planning as an aspect of health care does not have budgetary provision in the 202.