Trans Nzoia County government has received a boost in its efforts to up-scale the uptake of family planning services in the region which is below 50% owing to cultural misconceptions.
The Challenge Initiative (TCI) organization donated a health wagon (mobile clinic) that will be used for sensitization and administering of the family planning services to residents in a campaign that will also seek to tame teenage pregnancies.
“This wagon will enable us to have outreach sessions in hard to reach parts of this country to improve family planning within the county,” said the County’s Health Executive Committee Member Claire Wanyama
Mrs. Wanyama said the wagon will also be instrumental in offering general reproductive healthcare to residents in the region as part of the universal health care (UHC) whose main goal is to boost healthcare provision.
The Challenge Initiative’s regional coordinator Paul Nyachae said they will continue working with the County government to boost the uptake of family planning whose goal is to improve pregnancy planning, children spacing and prevent unintended pregnancy.
“This wagon will be essential in ensuring the family planning services are taken closer to the residents of this county in their villages. This will ensure the uptake is improved,” said Mr. Nyachae.
Reproductive health officials said the wagon will be critical in reaching out to many youths through grassroots engagements unlike waiting for them at hospitals which is majorly a challenge due to the high cost of living.
“The county’s teenage pregnancy level currently stands at 21.7% down from a high of 47% in the last two years. This will also help us as we work jointly with teachers and chiefs to avert the teenage pregnancy menace,” said the county government’s reproductive health coordinator Betty Khaemba.