Kwara women exceed cervical cancer screening target

Cancer. Credit: Live science

The Executive Director of HFDI, Aremu Akinyele, has disclosed that 22,788 women had been sensitised on cervical cancer screening, exceeding the project target of 5,235, while 8,073 adolescents and young people had been informed about available sexual and reproductive health services, against a target of 2,361.

Akinyele also disclosed that “19,042 community members participated in sexual and reproductive health dialogues and events, while 91 community-led initiatives addressing identified health needs were recorded.”

He identified limited availability of some essential health commodities, incomplete referrals and financial barriers to accessing services as challenges that required sustained attention beyond the project period.

The HFDI ED, thus called on government institutions, healthcare providers, civil society organisations and community leaders to strengthen referral systems and sustain community mobilisation to preserve the gains made through the intervention.

Meanwhile, no fewer than 22,481 residents across three local government areas of Kwara State benefited from a Global Fund-supported sexual and reproductive health project, achieving approximately 219 per cent of its target of 10,264 people.

Arewa PUNCH gathered that, referral completion remains an area requiring attention, with 147 of the 221 referrals recorded in the third quarter of 2026 documented as completed, underscoring the need to strengthen referral tracking, follow-up and feedback between communities and health facilities.

This was contained in a statement made available to Arewa PUNCH on Wednesday in Ilorin by the Press Secretary of the Kwara State Ministry of Health, Saad Hamdalat.

According to the statement, the Jhpiego State Team Lead for the Integrated Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Communicable Diseases Project, Williams Awotunde, gave the figures while speaking at a community-level close-out and dissemination event organised by Hope for Family Development Initiative in Offa.

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Awotunde said the project covered 15 primary healthcare facilities across Asa, Moro and Offa Local Government Areas, with interventions focused on improving access to integrated healthcare services and strengthening linkages between communities and health facilities.

“Generating a referral is only part of the journey. We must also ensure that people reach the appropriate service and receive the care they need,” he said, adding that referral follow-up, feedback and tracking remained important priorities.

He explained that the project, supported by the Global Fund and implemented by Jhpiego in collaboration with HFDI as its community-based implementing partner, had strengthened healthcare workers’ capacity through training, mentoring and supportive supervision.

According to him, “the overall System Focus score of supported facilities improved from 59.8 per cent in June to 67.4 per cent in September 2026, representing an increase of 7.6 percentage points.”

He added that six youth-friendly centres had been established and commissioned to improve adolescents’ access to appropriate sexual and reproductive health information and services.

Awotunde said the project had also supported community awareness campaigns and strengthened healthcare workers’ capacity to respond to gender-based violence, with emphasis on confidentiality, appropriate referrals and compassionate, survivor-centred care.

He urged journalists and social media influencers to promote accurate health information, challenge stigma and misinformation, and raise public awareness of available services.

He stressed that sustaining the project’s gains would require continued government ownership, collaboration among health stakeholders, and active community engagement beyond the close-out of the current project phase.