Mona Lisa Africa
Niger
INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE Mona Lisa Africa PROGRAM
By Dr Ado Aissa Bouwaye –National Director
of Health and Reproduction in Nigeria
How was Nigeria integrated into the pilot phase of the Mona Lisa Africa Programme?
The Mona Lisa Africa Programme was created through exchanges
made between the representative of the United Nations Funds for the Population in Nigeria (UNFPA) and HRA Pharma Laboratory on the one side, and on
the other side between the representative of the UNFPA and the Ministry of Public Health and Fight against Endemic Diseases.
The initiative was made possible, thanks to the interest shown by Nigeria to obtain a quantity of IUDs in order to contribute to the reinforcement of
availability and to the diversity of modern contraceptives available free of charge.
The programme was greeted with enthusiasm by the Nigerian authorities
who committed themselves fully to ensure the follow-up of the offer and of the use of contraceptive services including IUDs.
Which resources were put into action to implement the Programme?
HRA Pharma Laboratory made 1500 copper IUDs CUT380 available free of charge at the
end of October 2006. A second supply is planned for the first semester of 2007.
The Ministry of Public Health and Fight against Endemic Diseases has mobilized trainers, health providers (doctors, midwives, nurses) as well as logistics
partners (Store of the National Office of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Products of Nigeria, chemists from health centres…) in order to
guarantee the distribution and good storage and preserving of IUDs.
International organisations like the UNFPA, UNICEF, and AWARE/USAID provided technical and/or financial support for the training of health providers
(training of trainers, training of health providers in matters of insertion and withdrawal of IUDs, follow-up of the national trainers, supervision
of the health providers on a quarterly basis by the Family Planning Division and the Direction of Health and Reproduction)
Eventually the Belgian Technical Cooperation, the African Bank of Development and the World Bank provided a financial support for the equipment of health
centres.
Which medical follow-up will be granted to women who will benefit from the insertion of an IUD?
To start with, the population targeted by the Programme
will be mainly married women. A follow-up plan was established for women who will benefit from the insertion of an IUD:
- Counselling done by midwives trained in inserting and withdrawing IUDs
- First check-up visit 3 weeks after the insertion of the IUD
- One check-up a year after the 1st one
- In case of medical complications, the patient will be directed towards a reference maternity hospital.
The support used for this follow-up is a log book given to the patient as well as a follow-up index card that will be kept at her health centre.
As a Country Coordinator, what do you think of the Mona Lisa Africa Programme?
The Mona Lisa Africa Programme is warmly welcomed
in a country like Nigeria. Through its sanitary development plan 2005-2010, the country became aware of the situation and stressed the importance of
long-term and efficient contraceptive methods. The country understood that it has to face up to the needs for contraception that are essential to a
country whose population growth is amongst the highest in the world.
This programme also contributes to materialize the policy of free-of-charge contraceptives,
which the government is currently putting into action with its partners.
Nevertheless we need to see to the regular supplying of IUDS, to the adequate
and efficient training of both the trainers and health providers in
Nigeria, and we also have to work on the people's awareness so that they resort to Family Planning, all this with a view to ensure an efficient,
operational and successful programme.