Stakeholders in the health sector in Ebonyi State have called on the government, development partners and community leaders to sustain sexual and reproductive health programmes following the successful completion of a project implemented by the Daughters of Virtue and Empowerment Initiative (DOVENET).
The stakeholders made the call during the closeout meeting of the Advancing Integrated Health Services Delivery for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Communicable Diseases (SRHR-CD) project, implemented by DOVENET in partnership with Jhpiego and the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCP) in Abakaliki.
The initiative, which covered 15 communities across Afikpo North, Ebonyi and Ezza South Local Government Areas, was designed to improve access to integrated sexual and reproductive health services and communicable disease care.
Participants at the meeting emphasised the need to consolidate the project's achievements, strengthen healthcare delivery systems and ensure that beneficiaries continue to enjoy improved access to quality services beyond the project's lifespan.
Speaking at the event, DOVENET Executive Director, Mrs Ugo Nnachi, said the intervention was aimed at ensuring that women, adolescent girls, young people and other community members could access quality, integrated and youth-friendly healthcare without stigma, discrimination or unnecessary barriers.
She said the project had strengthened the integration of health services in participating facilities, improved community referral systems and enhanced the involvement of traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations and community-based structures in promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Nnachi noted that the project had recorded significant progress through collaboration with Jhpiego, the Ebonyi State Ministry of Health, NASCP and other relevant stakeholders.
“When we began this journey, our goal was clear: to contribute to a health system where people can access quality, integrated, respectful and youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services, alongside essential communicable disease care, free from stigma, discrimination or barriers,” she said.
She explained that the integrated service delivery approach was intended to make every interaction within health facilities and communities an opportunity to provide comprehensive care, promote dignity and empower beneficiaries.
However, she expressed concern over the sustainability of the achievements following the project's closure, stressing that the skills acquired by healthcare workers and the trust established with community members must be maintained.
According to her, continued collaboration among government institutions, development partners and community structures would be critical to preserving the project's impact.
DOVENET Programme Officer, Igwe Magnus, disclosed that the project had sensitised 33,629 people, including young people and women of childbearing age, on sexual and reproductive health and related healthcare issues.
He added that youth-friendly corners had been established in participating health facilities to provide young people with confidential spaces to discuss sensitive sexual and reproductive health concerns with healthcare workers.
The initiative, he said, was designed to improve access to reliable health information, encourage early healthcare-seeking behaviour and enable young people to obtain appropriate services without fear of judgement or discrimination.
A representative of the Ebonyi State health authorities, speaking on behalf of the Commissioner for Health, Dr Moses Ekuma, and the Director of Public Health, Dr Ajah Gabriel, reaffirmed the state government's commitment to ensuring that effective public health interventions continued to benefit communities beyond the lifespan of individual projects.
The representative stressed the importance of identifying successful interventions, strengthening programmes with long-term benefits and ensuring that investments in public health yielded sustainable results.
The representative also called for shared responsibility among government agencies, development partners and community members to consolidate the gains recorded through the intervention.
Other stakeholders at the meeting, including the traditional ruler of Amuzu in Ezza South LGA, HRH Eze Frank Nwakpu Ujebe; Chief Sylvester Okoro of Nkaleke-Echara Ndiebor community in Ebonyi LGA; Executive Director of the Ebonyi State Agency for the Control of AIDS (EBOSACA), Prince Chibueze Eshi; and Executive Secretary of the Ebonyi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Emeka Philip Ovuba, commended DOVENET for its contributions to public health development in the state.
They noted that the project had helped raise awareness of sexual and reproductive health issues while improving access to health information and services in the benefiting communities.
Representatives of NASCP, Jhpiego, the State Ministry of Health and civil society organisations also delivered goodwill messages, applauding DOVENET and its community partners for their roles in implementing the initiative.
Highlights of the closeout meeting included testimonies from beneficiaries, cultural dance performances, an exhibition of DOVENET's achievements, a panel discussion and the signing of a sustainability commitment by community leaders and other stakeholders.
Through the commitment, the stakeholders pledged to support efforts to preserve the project's achievements and ensure that the improved access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services continues after the formal conclusion of the intervention.
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