THE Deputy Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Aisha Kigoda, has said the country is facing an acute shortage of contraceptives, particularly the Injection (Depo-Provera) and Implants. Dr Kigoda told the Daily News over the telephone from Dodoma yesterday that stocks of these contraceptives had run out since February this year.Injection and Implants are said to be the most popular family planning methods in use across the country. It is true, the Medical Stores Department (MSD) has alerted us of the shortages since February but we could not place orders due to lack of funds, said Dr Kigoda.
However, she said that the government had now secured funds — and has since directed the MSD to import the contraceptives, saying new shipments would be delivered soon. She advised customers to consult doctors for possible alternatives pending arrival of their preferred contraceptives.
The deputy minister was commenting on a survey conducted by this paper in Singida region last week, where doctors said they were facing hard times taking care of their customers using these contraceptives. Singida Rural District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr Dismas Vyagusa said that women and some men had lately started responding positively to family planning campaign, but were now frustrated by the non-availability of the contraceptives.
He said the two are not only easy to administer but could also serve a customer over a longer time span than any other. Implants can also prevent women from conceiving for up to five years and that just one injection could prevent pregnancy for up to three months.
The Prime Minister, Mr Mizengo Pinda, recently urged Tanzanians to go for family planning in a bid to reduce rapid population growth in the country. Speaking at the climax of World Population Day in Shinyanga region ten days ago, Mr Pinda said that in situation whereby the population is increasing by one million people every year, using contraceptives was inevitable.
Medical Adviser of Population Service International-Tanzania, Dr Joseph Mashafi said that the shortage of contraceptives was compounded by the fact that its distribution was monopolized by the government. Because of this monopoly, it is impossible to find them in private hospitals or in pharmacies, he observed.
Daily News
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