The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | Almost half of the two hundred and thirty million condoms procured for free access by Ugandans go unused annually and yet the country is recording a high and growing number of people contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Dr Mutumba Robert who heads the AIDS Control Programme in the Ministry of Health (MoH) revealed that there is declining use with some sections attributing this to fears that the condoms are not of good quality.
While there are various condom brands on the market that are for sale, the free condoms are procured by a donor organization Global Fund and statistics show only one hundred and seventy million condoms were consumed last year. Currently in stock, Mutumba reveals there are about 90 ninety million which are estimated to last about five months, but officials say uptake is low.
According to Boniface Epoku, the Program Officer, Condom Programming in the Ministry, the easy access to emergency contraceptives by young people is only pushing the number of condom users lower as many are more concerned about pregnancy than HIV or sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia that can have disastrous effects on fertility.
He adds that free condoms have been hit by a misconception of low quality which is why the government is now partnering with private sellers through a social marketing approach to ensure that users can buy the products at affordable prices.
At the meeting which was held ahead of the International Condom Day marked every February 13th, the ministry launched yet another Indian condom brand called Kama Sutra saying that for a pack of three, Ugandans will be parting with only one thousand five hundred shillings.
Martha Mbabazi Atai, an HIV Prevention coordinator at an NGO AHF – Uganda Cares says there are instances where there have been stock out of condoms.
She says in some places due to in availability of free condoms, the organization has had to procure some to complement the government noting that they always procure about six million condoms annually.
For her, such stockouts shouldn’t arise for an approach that reduces HIV acquisition by up to 95 percent.
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