Thu, 20 Jul 2017 08:28:56 +0000
By VIOLET TEMBO
MEDICINES Transparency Alliance (MeTA) has expressed worry over poor funding towards contraceptive programmes in Zambia and the world at large.
MeTA local coordinator Laiko Laiko said Zambia and the world at large were facing a contraceptive funding crisis.
In an interview, Mr.Laiko said there was a global shortage of certain methods of contraceptives because investment in the area was not being sufficiently prioritized.
Mr.Laiko said that inadequate coordination and lack of prioritization in existing financing was contributing to bottlenecks in the supply chains, affecting smoother delivery of contraceptives to the general public.
He said that the challenges were rife at a global level which replicated in the country despite the good efforts and strides the government was putting in place.
“As a direct consequence of the rise in population, there is a growing demand for reproductive health commodities in Zambia,
“However, what needs to be put in place in order to overcome the use of contraceptive challenges in Zambia is developing a holistic plan of action at national level, to prevent putting the health and wellbeing of thousands of women and girls at risk,” he said.
Mr.Laiko said that there was a need to draft and implement a national Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) strategic plan to complement universal access for all.
He explained that the strategic plan must provide a framework for protection and advancement of SRHR for all citizens that will promote safe motherhood to decrease maternal, new born, adolescent morbidity and mortality rates.
There was a greater need to close the contraceptive funding gap at national and local levels by putting in place a sustainable plan to prioritize funding for sexual reproductive health and strengthen systems that ensured contraceptive security.
“In order for us to achieve this goal, civil society organizations and media engagement should be prioritized through policy and advocacy to ensure improved health systems and supply chain that meet the needs of users,
“There is need to work with donors and government must honour their funding commitments, and they must work to improve the coordination and timeliness of commodity delivery systems,” Laiko said.
Mr.Laiko said that increased investments in health workers and training was required to ensure they were able to provide contraceptive methods of the woman’s choice.
He also said that there was need to ensure transparency of data, which should be translated and communicated to civil society organizations for action to foster change.
