Family Planning to reach people in villages

Family Planning to reach people in villages

Kabompo, March 5,    ZANIS —— A  traditional leader has called on the Ministry of Health to extend family planning services to the illiterate and poor people in villages in order to help them plan their families to a manageable size they can look after and educate well. 

Chief Kalunga of the Luchazi people made the call when he addressed people during the scaling up family planning programme for Kabompo and Manyinga districts conducted at Kaula primary school in Manyinga district yesterday.

Chief Kalunga lamented that family planning services were being concentrated in the towns of Kabompo and Manyinga while very little was actually being done in villages away from the main Solwezi-Chavuma road.

He said there was need for the family planning services to be extended also to remote villages because it was there that the majority illiterate and poor stay and where early pregnancies among school going children were rampant.

The traditional leader however, commended the United Kingdom government`s Department for International Development (DFID) led by Abt Associates for extending their assistance and services to Kabompo and Manyinga districts in the North-Western province.

And Coalition of African Parliamentarians Against HIV and AIDS National Coordinator Shiyama Kutoha called on chiefs in Kabompo and Manyinga districts to work together in harmony as a team in partnership with their area members of parliament to ensure that unplanned pregnancies were avoided and people were fully sensitized.

Meanwhile Senior Chief Sikufele who also attended the function urged government heads of department in Kabompo and Manyinga to work as a team and avoid falling prey to tribalism.