Concord Times (Freetown)
Alhassan Bah
26 November 2008
Health for all coalition-Sierra Leone (HFACSL) Tuesday ended a one-day meeting on advocacy for repositioning family planning in Sierra Leone for journalists.
The confab, which took place at the YMCA hall in Freetown was attended by over 20 media practitioners across the country. A representative from the reproductive health division ministry of health and sanitation Dr. Francis Smart said family planning does not only imply stopping women from having children but to plan their families in bid to space of their children.
"Family planning helps to reduce stress and poverty. It helps women to care for their children. Many women lost their children because of poor family planning," he said.
Dr. Smart said family planning sensitizes people from all walks of society.
Program officer services delivery planned parenthood association of Sierra Leone (PPASL) Hannah Saccoh said repositioning family was meant to give priority to family planning.
She said family planning was used by parents to space child bearing by using contraceptive methods and other techniques.
"Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, preconception counseling and infertility management. Reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being," she said.
She said reproductive health implies that people should have a satisfying and safe sex life and also the capability to reproduce. Chairman of civil society movement Sierra Leone Charles Mambu said Sierra Leone was still at the bottom of world health rating because of selfishness and greed, adding that it was incumbent on every sierra Leonean to change his/her attitude.
"If we fail to change our attitude, we will continue to remain bottom in the world," he said.
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