The Society for Family Health, SFH, has launched the Delivering Innovations in Self-Care (DISC) project in Cross River State.
The DISC project is aimed at demonstrating that self-care beginning with contraceptive self-injection is a viable cornerstone of sexual and reproductive health.
It was launched in Calabar recently with funds from Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and support from Population Service International (PSI).
The event was a workshop on sustainability plan and data quality capacity which was aimed at strengthening stakeholders.
SFH project business manager, Mr. Fidelis Edet disclosed that they emphasise on the progress they do achieve, tackle challenges assoxiated with self care and contraceptive as well as assist Cross River develop a sustainability plan.
Edet explained “the project is to scale up quality self-care options starting with DMPA – SC (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate – Subcutaneous) self-injection. We have been carrying out activities like this around states. Meeting like this, allows us to ask ourselves if we are making progress.
“Also, this meeting will enable us evaluate the challenges that we face in the field and explore the way forward,” he stressed.
A representative of the Federal Ministry of Health which collaborated to stage the event, Mr. Femi Tonye commended the SFH for her numerous interventions across Nigeria
He noted that the workshop was an opportunity for stakeholders to work towards sustaining the DISC project.
According to Tonye, “the SFH has contributed significantly in the quality of health data in Nigeria. The purpose of the gathering is to plan for the sustainability of the project at hand.”
Officials and participants at the workshop
Speaking further, he said they would like the state to integrate DISC in its health programme even as he disclosed that they are about to round up the project.
He expressed happiness that though they took off with low baseline in the state but that the data is increasing and encouraging.
“So, if Cross River can buy into the project and own it by developing a sustainability plan, it will be good and speak for the state in terms of healthcare system strengthening,” he said.
In her presentation, the Social and Behavioural Change Communication Officer on the DISC project for Cross River State, Mrs. Emem Efiong-Ebule said the workshop was intended to among other things “provide a platform for knowledge sharing and explore best practices on self-care contraception.
“The forum was also to leverage on state system for ownership and expansion of high impact DMPA – SC self-injection interventions as well as get the state commitment for self-injection empathy-based counselling integration and expansion. It is also to tighten oversight on service provision, data reporting and commodity security,” Efiong-Ebule stated.
Similarly, the Director of Public Health in Cross Rive, Dr. Bassey Offor assured that the state was committed to lead in deliverables.
The SFH held the cluster summit for the northern and central senatorial districts in Ikom local government area, Cross River State.
