Enugu moves to sustain gains of five-year IntegratE family planning project

The Enugu State Government and key health sector stakeholders have pledged to sustain the gains of the IntegratE Project, a five-year family planning initiative that expanded access to reproductive health services through Community Pharmacists (CPs) and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs).

The commitment was made on Wednesday during the dissemination of the Enugu State Private Sector Family Planning performance under the IntegratE Project, which ran from October 2021 to July 2026.

Speaking at the event, the representative of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharm Ifeyinwa Ohiaeri described the project as a major intervention that strengthened family planning services through pharmacy practice, stressing that family planning remains critical to reproductive, maternal and adolescent health. 

The council said the dissemination provided an opportunity to review achievements, challenges and strategies for sustaining the project's impact, while reaffirming its commitment to professional ethics and quality service delivery.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) said the project's achievements would deepen family planning awareness at the grassroots, while the PSN Foundation expressed confidence that the progress recorded would continue beyond the project's lifespan.

The National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED) also pledged continued support for the initiative and called for sustained implementation.

Representing the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mrs. Maureen Nwankwo said the agency would sustain the gains achieved, noting that the programme had helped reduce unintended pregnancies and maternal and child deaths through improved access to family planning services.

Group Director of Donor-Funded Programmes at the Society for Family Health, Pharm. Emeka Okafor, said the national project tested the pharmacy-led delivery model for family planning in Enugu state noting that while about 70 percent of residents patronise private health providers, much of the state's routine health data comes only from the public sector, leaving a significant gap.

According to the project's implementation report, 29,262 women accessed family planning services through trained PPMVs in Enugu state, while 14,541 referrals were made to public health facilities. The project also exceeded training targets, introduced digital supportive supervision and contributed to the institutionalisation of the Tiered Accreditation System for PPMVs.

The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, said the project had significantly improved reproductive health services for women in the state over the past five years. He described family planning as a sensitive but essential service and assured that the government would continue expanding access while ensuring responsible use. 

Ugwu added that Governor Peter Mbah's administration remains committed to strengthening primary healthcare, revealing that more than 100 new primary healthcare centres would become operational before the end of the year.

He added that Enugu's commitment to innovation would continue to position the state as a leader in modern healthcare delivery.