Adebayo Adenrele
A Professor of Social Demography in Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti (EKSU), Celinah Ogundana has called on federal government to increase health budget and funding to enhance sexual healthcare delivery.
Professor Ogundana made this appeal on Wednesday, while delivering the 94th Inaugural Lecture of the Institution themed “Beyond Binaries: Gender Relations and The Challenges of Sexual Healthcare Delivery in Nigeria”.
Ogundana explained that this action will make gender sensitive and culturally competent with the intervention of profound political will and civil society pressure.
She implored the government to develop and implement policies that address gender disparities in sexual healthcare access and delivery.
The Don equally urged the government to improve on sexual healthcare services by recruiting and training more personnel, making modern contraceptives available and extending the sexual health services to vulnerable populations.
Her words, “There should be an increase in the health budget and increased funding for gender sensitive and culturally competent care should be recognized as a priority and of urgent attention. Profound political will and civil society pressure are required to make this happen.
“Government should develop and implement policies that address gender disparities in sexual healthcare access and delivery because they are social determinants of health such as education, economic empowerment and social protection to reduce health inequities
“There should be improvement on sexual healthcare services, such as recruiting and training of more personnel, improving their welfare packages, making modern contraceptives available, affordable and accessible to the general populace.
“They should also enlarge access to safe and affordable family planning services and extend the provision of sexual health services to vulnerable populations as well as increased gender empowerment interventions such as girl child education”.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Joseph Babalola hailed the Don for the lecture, saying the Institution will continue to support academics embarking on research for personal growth and shaping the image of EKSU.
He used the opportunity to call on relevant stakeholders to support the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, so that the Institution can experience more developmental strides.
