Findings from an investigation have revealed that there were an estimated 200 births of newborns per month at the Ortese Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camp in Guma Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue state.
The Executive Secretary of the Benue State Primary Health Care Board, Mrs Grace Wende, while speaking about the issue of birth, said the number was quite high and the government would need to do something about it.
Wende said, “I saw a very interesting sight. I’ve been in these camps often as part of our coordination beat and as part of the main role of Primary Health Care.
“We are part of the major leading partners in supporting the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs camps in terms of providing healthcare personnel who will be providing services to these various camps.
“Today I saw a chunk of pregnant women and young children and it seems that there is a very high level of fertility and childbirth within these camps.
“Today alone we noticed that there are 200 new births per month. It is quite high, and the Government needs to do something about it.
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“But from my discussion with them, it seems that they are not utilising the family planning products that were given to them. So we need to intensify demand creation generation, especially among the men because they look at the problem there.
“The women are willing but their husbands are resisting those family planning methods.
“The 200 births I am talking about are just in Ortese IDPs Camp. I am not talking about any other. 200 babies delivered in one camp in one month is huge. And we have not gotten the situation in other camps.
“Our findings indicated that the women there are helpless. Some women are remarrying within the camp, and their husbands are not there; the husbands are also remarrying. They are also, sort of negotiating sex with the women within the camp. Those things are things that require that we intensify our advocacy and decision-making within the camps.
“I have already talked with the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, and the Camp Coordinators to see how we can go about it. We will target the advocacy on the men for now.”