Uganda hit by shortage of contraceptives
Kampala, Uganda (PANA) – Essential contraceptive drugs have been out of stock in multiple centres in Uganda, presenting a danger of women getting unwanted pregnancies, the Health minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, has said.
Dr Aceng said on Tuesday that the problem is being handled, but would not give a definite date when normal supplies will be restored.
“There are a number of pressing issues that require financing, and sometimes the concerned officers may not plan well,” Aceng said. “But we will have supplies restored shortly.”
A health worker in a suburb in the capital Kampala, who asked not to be named, said that they have not been able to provide contraceptives to their clients for the past three months because the Joint Medical Stores, which distributes drugs on behalf of the government, has not delivered to their outlet during that period.
The contraceptives that are out of stock, an official at the ministry of Health said, include sayana press (self-injectable), Jadelle implants, implanon implant and emergency pills, all used to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
There are conflicting theories regarding the cause of the scarcity, with some players blaming it on over-reliance on donors, who provide 80% of all Uganda’s reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health commodities.
Other officials say that the commodities that are out of stock in some areas of the country are in oversupply in some other areas, pointing to a possible problem in the distribution mechanism.
Uganda is looking to cut down on its population growth, now standing at about 3%, and reliance on contraception is the biggest remedy.
-0- PANA EM/VAO 9July2019
