Ease access to sexual health for all people
An artist drawing an impression during the releasing of the findings of the Performance Monitoring and Action Family Planning Survey 2021 at Sarova Panafric Hotel, Nairobi on March 25, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Cultural factors may influence their attitude towards contraceptive use and interaction with family planning providers.
- Service providers have to be friendly and should not force one to take a contraceptive that is not their preference.
Kenyans face many challenges to accessing family planning methods. One is commodity stockouts and shortage of other reproductive health supplies at health facilities.
Supply chain, low demand, low staff training and equipment shortage are cited as reasons for health facilities not offering certain contraceptives. For instance, it takes one an average of one and a half hours to get to a health facility for family planning services, especially in the rural areas.
This is actually the biggest challenge. This also makes women not go to health facilities, preferring to take over-the-counter drugs, which poses a great risk to their health.
Research shows 48 per cent of women rely on their spouses for finances to access contraceptives, including transport money and check-up fees, becoming a dependancy burden to them. And at times the spouse can lack the money.
Unintended pregnancies
Service providers are taking steps to rope in men, who should be able to access services such as vasectomy willingly and free of charge. But many charge for publicly funded contraceptives, making them unaffordable. That results in unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
Some individuals still face barriers in obtaining these services. Drug addicts, former prisoners, the homeless, the LGBTIQ community, HIV-positive people and persons with disabilities, including those who suffer from mental illness, require a sophisticated healthcare provider and need a wide range of social services.
Cultural factors may influence their attitude towards contraceptive use and interaction with family planning providers. Reaching out and serving them can cost much time and money.
Service providers have to be friendly and should not force one to take a contraceptive that is not their preference. They should be trained in offering services to the minorities, marginalised and persons with disabilities and, lastly, not have a judgemental attitude towards individuals, particularly adolescents, seeking services.
Ms Nthiana is a sexual and reproductive health advocate at Naya Kenya. [email protected]
