adminTinomuda Chakanyuka Sunday News Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) is targeting to increase the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) among adults in the country by about 20 percent within the next five years, an official has said. Contraceptive prevalence rate refers to the percentage of women who are practicing, or whose sexual partners are practicing, any form of contraception. It is usually measured in females aged between 15 and 49 years.
Zimbabwe’s contraception prevalence rate stands at 59 percent, the second highest in Africa after South Africa whose prevalence rate is at 60,3 percent.
ZNFPC marketing and communications manager Mr Simon Chikwizo on Friday told Sunday News that efforts were being made towards pushing up the use of contraceptives among adults in the country to about 80 percent by 2020.
Mr Chikwizo said ZNFPC had started engaging contraceptive service providers, including medical institutions across the country, training their personnel on all forms of contraception available as a means to increase contraception options to members of the public.
“To achieve our target we need to first train service providers on all methods of contraception that are available. We have already started training personnel at hospitals and clinics around the country. Training is our first step towards the target to guarantee members of the public the specific contraception method they require.
“For example, if one intends to use Jadelle, they should just go to a hospital or even a clinic in the rural area and find the personnel there able to assist them. Access of all the methods should not be limited by failure of service providers to give the service,” he said.
Mr Chikwizo said after educating service providers the council will start working on creating demand of contraceptives among sexually active adults in the country as well as educating people on the importance of using contraception.
He, however, noted that resource constrains may derail efforts to increase demand of contraceptives.
“People have to be given information on which product they want, but first we must educate them on the importance of using contraception. That will be our next step after training services providers.
“Demand creation is very important if we are to achieve our target. After educating people on the available contraception options they should be told where the services can be obtained. Our biggest challenge on this one might be shortages of resources,” he said.
The Government through ZNFPC is working on reducing the country’s Total Fertility Rate, through encouraging the use of birth control methods and increase uptake of contraceptives among the country’s sexually active population.
Total Fertility Rate refers to the average number of live births a woman can have by the age of 50.
The country’s fertility rate stands at 3,8 children per woman and efforts are to cut it down to three children per woman.
Economic analysts concur that the country’s population growth rate needs to be reduced to align it with the economic growth rate.
Mr Chikwizo said increasing the use of contraceptives among sexually active will contribute immensely to efforts to reduce the total fertility rate.
“There are a lot of benefits that the country and individuals can derive from an improved contraceptive prevalence rate. Remember Government is making an effort to reduce population growth rate. Increased use of contraception will impact positively on this.
“For individuals an increased use of contraception has obvious benefits such as avoiding unwanted pregnancies. If one does not want to have a child until 2017 but still want to remain sexually active they will choose the right method of contraception that will help them achieve that,” he said.
At the start of the year health institutions across the country faced shortages of birth control pills and ZNFPC moved in to intoduce a new contraceptive, Marvelon 28, to plug the lurking supply gap.
The contraceptive was distributed in health institutions in Bulawayo and Harare only.
Zimbabwe has also witnessed an increased use of condoms with data showing that a staggering 300 million male and female condoms were distributed countrywide between 2009 and 2013.
According to ZNFPC, about 287 million male condoms were distributed during the period under review while 16,4 million female condoms were dispatched during the same period.
The figures, however, only represent condoms that were distributed by the Ministry of Health and Child Care through public health institutions, and exclude branded condoms sold in private pharmacies.
Matabeleland North and Bulawayo provinces, despite being the least populated provinces in the country, have the highest consumers of contraceptives in the Southern region.
Online Reporter