Queenmothers should champion family planning education – Prof. Akosa

A former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, believes traditional leaders could lead family planning education campaign to reduce Ghana’s rising population.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, he noted the efforts in family planning education was not yielding results and perhaps roping in queenmothers, especially, would be more impactful.

This is especially so given the rural areas generally record the highest birth rates.

Prof Akosa observed that the economy was pinching enough and urban couples shied away from many children but rural people still go in for upwards of five children.

Some of these rural couples leave the upkeep of their children to fate, he added.

Concerns with Ghana’s growing population have seen the Executive Director of the National Population Council, Leticia Adelaide Appiah advocate for the government to use incentives to encourage Ghanaians to use family planning methods.

Family Planning is essential to stemming the ballooning population, which stands at 28.1 million, but a different medium for the education is needed, according to Prof. Akosa.

“For all the years we have been working on Family planning, we are still nowhere in terms of the Ghanaians who doesn't want a child taking a family planning product. This is where I think we should gather our energy and work towards… What is important is that our rural communities need to be properly educated. For them, it is quantity, not quality and you go to any of rural communities and you will see the children galore.”

In Prof. Akosa’s view, queenmothers could get through to families in the rural areas better than health workers are doing.

“If we use them [queenmothers] as part of the vehicle for educating our rural folks, I think we will be more successful than health workers doing it. Somehow, health workers are more detached and it is assumed that it is their job…

“I think that it is important that the Health Service comes into serious dialogue with the Queen mothers Association and begins to let them also play their role… they have a role to educate the community,” he said.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana