By Muhammad Amaan
The Society for Family Health (SFH), Nigeria, has launched the Supporting Women’s Increased Access to Family Planning through Pharmacies and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (SWIFT) project.
The initiative aims to reduce maternal mortality and promote women’s economic empowerment.
The SWIFT project seeks to enhance access to family planning services through pharmacies and medicine vendors, ultimately improving healthcare outcomes for women and supporting their economic independence.
The initiative is supported by the Gates Foundation, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, and state governments.
This three-year project aims to improve healthcare delivery, reduce maternal mortality, promote gender equity, and empower women’s health and financial independence.
The Director of Health System Strengthening at SFH, Dayyabu Mahmoud Yusuf, made the announcement during the SWIFT Project Stakeholders Inception Meeting on Tuesday in Kano.
He explained that the project would be implemented in Kano, Kaduna, and Lagos States, aiming to increase the availability of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC) at pharmaceutical primary healthcare outlets.
“The initiative aims to optimise Community Pharmacies (CPs) and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) while empowering women-led businesses.
“This will help reduce economic inequalities and contribute to poverty reduction and social mobility through access to micro-credit from financial institutions.
“The focus in Kano State will be to bridge the gender gap in healthcare by training 1,321 female community pharmacists and PPMVs in family planning and entrepreneurship.
“SFH also plans to support the establishment of 400 new female-led PPMVs.
“SFH will collaborate with the Lafiya Jari Programme under the Kano State Government to ensure that qualified providers meet the accreditation standards set by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN),” Mahmoud Yusuf stated.
The Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran-Yusuf, emphasised that family planning was crucial for reducing maternal mortality.
Represented by Mr Aminu Bashir, the Permanent Secretary of the Kano Ministry of Health, the Commissioner commended SFH for the initiative, stating that empowering women to provide family planning services would greatly improve service delivery.
The Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the Kano Ministry of Health, Mr Kamilu Mudi-Salisu, noted that the initiative was timely, especially considering that Kano had the highest maternal mortality rate in Nigeria.
Representatives from Lafiya Jari, NAFDAC, ALGON, NAPPMED, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, and other stakeholders also attended the event, offering their support through goodwill messages.
