The National Family Planning Board provides Family Planning counselling free of charge. Get access expert family planning assistance and resources.
You Have Questions. We Have Answers
Family Planning counselling is a process that aims to help individuals and couples make informed decisions about their reproductive health and plan their families according to their preferences and needs. The counselling process typically involves discussions and interactions with a trained healthcare provider.
- You can set an appointment or walk in
- When you get to the clinic, you will be directed to the healthcare provider
- During the session the healthcare provider will gather information about the individuals or couples’ health, medical history, and current contraceptive use (if any). Understanding their lifestyle, preferences and future family goals help the provider offer suitable recommendations.
- The Healthcare provider will educate the individuals or couples on the various contraceptive methods available to prevent or delay pregnancy. The advantages and disadvantages, effectiveness rates, and explain them in detail.
- The Healthcare provider will listen to any concerns or questions the individuals or couples may have about specific contraceptive methods. Accurate information will be provided, and address misconceptions or fears related to family planning.
- Based on the information provided and the individuals or couples preferences, they will jointly decide on the most appropriate contraceptive method or combination of methods that align with their lifestyle, future plans and health needs.
- Provide possible assistance with any issues related to the selected method.
Family planning is an important aspect of reproductive health and has numerous benefits for individuals, families, and society. It involves making informed decisions about when and how many children to have, or if you want to have children at all. Family planning also involves choosing the appropriate contraceptive method to achieve those goals.
Some reasons why family Planning is considered necessary and beneficial include:
- Personal Autonomy: Allows individuals, especially females to have control over their reproductive choices. This leads to greater economic independence and improved overall wellbeing.
- Health Benefits: Proper family planning reduces the risk of maternal health issues for the mother and child.
- Child well-being: Spacing births and having planned pregnancies can lead to healthier outcomes for children, as parents are better able to provide for their physical, emotional, and financial needs.
- Environmental Impact: Family planning can help reduce the strain on natural resources.
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What should I expect when I come in for HIV testing?
- Once you have made an appointment using the form below, the Counsellor will be informed to expect you.
- Please make every effort to be on time – arrive at least 15 minutes before the time you selected. If you are cannot make it, please cancel the appointment and/or reschedule to a time that works better for you.
- When you get to the clinic, you will be directed to the Counsellor where we will verify your identity. We want to ensure we are speaking with the right person! Any acceptable National ID will do (passport, driver’s license, voter’s ID etc.)
- The Counsellor will then ask you to consent in writing to the test, walk you through some of the key things you need to know about the test and HIV in general, take a small blood sample for the rapid test by finger prick, interpret the result, offer post-test counselling and, if necessary, a referral.
- Your result will be available within 20 minutes.
We also test for syphilis with the same blood sample; you will receive both results within 20 minutes.
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Why should I get tested for HIV?
- Protecting yourself as well as your partner
- Helping you to access treatment early, if the result is positive, and increasing the chance of keeping the virus under control.
- Stopping transmission if you are already infected.
- Looking after loved ones by protecting them
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Do you provide contraceptives as part of the Family Planning Counselling Session?
Yes! As a part of the consultation, we provide contraception methods (Condoms, Pill and Injection) to help women better plan and space births, prevent unintended pregnancies, and reduce abortions. If IUCD (Copper T) or Jadelle Implants are your preferred method of contraception, The counsellor will be happy to provide you with a referral. The Family Planning Counselling Session is free, but contraceptives provided may incur a small fee.
