SIERRA LEONE: Family Planning is Pivotal in Achieving MDGs 4&5
AWOKO reported on 16 July on the launching of the maiden Family Planning Week at the Miatta Conference Hall in Freetown. The wife of the Vice President, Kadia Sam Sumana, on 7 July said that family planning is pivotal in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5. She said that the event is a clear indication that more work needs to be done especially in the reduction of child and maternal mortality.
The Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation, Mamoud Tarawalie revealed that the government has placed the highest priority on maternal and child health, stressing that ambitious strategies and policies have been put in place to address these issues. Despite the tireless effort of the government, he noted, access to and utilization of family planning services is appallingly low in the country, making the modern contraceptive prevalence rate only 8% among married women of reproductive age. According to the Deputy Health Minister, government and partners, including UNFPA, spared no efforts in advocating for a wider attention to family planning.