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06:59Last update on: 13 Aug 2013
The Namibian
Tue 13 Aug 2013
SMS Of The Day * MINISTRY of Gender and Child Welfare, TEARS are rolling down as I write this SMS. The killing of women in Namibia is now like reciting a poem. Are we really getting the protection we deserve while women not being treated as part of this c Food For Thought * SO the Zimbabwe elections were free and peaceful and not free and fair? Bouquets And Brickbats * NURSES at Katutura Hospital must stop wearing those big plastic sandals at work because they are not the official working shoes. We want to see you looking smart and beautiful with your full uniform. SMS Of The Day * THIS nation is in dire need of a massive conference on housing. When we experienced a crisis in the education sector a crisis-control brain-storming conference was organised which resulted in the best deal ever for the Namibian child, nam Food For Thought * BOURGEOISIE has become a daily occupation if not the order of the day of the upper-echelons, President Hifikepunye Pohamba we urge you to revisit this unpatriotic geocentricism among your staff and the well-connected, for everybody to r Bouquets And Brickbats * COMMISSIONER of Prisons, can you please explain the strategies you use to appoint officers to certain positions? It is my observation that you are being fed with wrong information then you just promote individuals without making p SMS Of The Day * I THINK Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda lost his belt because of this promoter and trainer. How can a world champion still be training at the Katutura Youth Complex where there is not enough equipment. I think they must follow the example of Ha Food For Thought * NAMIBIA Dairies are unable to match low prices of imported milk and this ultimately means the consumer will have to pay more for local milk. Look at the prices of the local chicken. All these profits are going in the pockets of a few in Bouquets And Brickbats * I AM pleased to hear that Cabinet has responded positively to the proposal of Namibia Dairies to support the industry. The restrictions which support the industry by reducing competition to ensure the survival of the industry is a SMS Of The Day * CEO’s golden handshakes. Somewhere on our statute books there must be a provision that if a board of directors suspends/dismisses a CEO without due regard to legal provision (substantive/procedural law) such board must carry the costs for Food For Thought * JACKY Asheeke was so right with her last column- why are the fathers of the dead children not being prosecuted? (Reference to the children who died in shack fires last week) Our justice system still protects men over women. In this cont Bouquets And Brickbats * ALEXACTUS Kaure, your column in Friday’s newspaper opened my eyes. One hardly finds impartial case study analysers in Namibia. Let’s not destroy the Polytechnic’s strong foundation (Tjivikua) as yet. At least wait until the transf
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NEWS - NAMIBIA
| 2013-07-29
Free condoms on the decline
Theresia Tjihenuna
THE withdrawal of funds for HIV programmes in the country by donors has resulted in a loss of several Condom Logistics Officers (CLO’s) and a reduction in the funds available to pay for key operational items such as transport in recent years.
This was revealed in the National Condom Strategy for 2013/14-2017-18 drafted by the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
According to the document, the role of CLO’s is to support condom logistics and promotion at district hospitals and regional medical stores and coordinate the condom programme at regional and district levels in collaboration with the regional government and NGOs.
CLOs also act as a link between the regional medical stores and the district hospitals, where condoms are stored, and local health facilities and other condom outlets run by the ministry and local stakeholders.
The ministry says that the lack of funds has resulted in a loss of several CLO posts and further handicapped their work because of a lack of computers and the need to share computers with regional office staff.
“These factors have impacted negatively on the ability of the CLO’s to perform the sub-national coordination and distribution responsibilities assigned to them,” reads the document. The document also estimated that some 70% of current free issue condom supplies are procured by the government.
Figures provided by the ministry also show a substantial decline in free condom distribution since 2008 and 2009.
“In that year, the total number of free issue male condoms distributed by the ministry stood at around 25 million. It then fell to approximately 21 million between 2009 and 2010 and 2010 and 2011, and then plummeted to some 15,3 million in 2011 and 2012,” says the ministry.
The ministry says free issue female condom distribution also declined over the same period, from 499 000 in 2009 and 2010 to 281 000 in 2011 and 2012.
“Although the ending of funding accounts for a substantial amount of the decline in 2011 and 2012, free issue condom distribution was on a downward spiral before the funding withdrawal,” the ministry reveals.
According to Executive Director of the Namibia AIDS Service Organisation Sandie Tjaronda, Namibia currently does not have a short-supply of condoms but there are “logistical hick-ups” in the distribution process.
“Since most of the condoms distributed by government are facility-based, there is a problem with accessibility. People are not able to access condoms at odd hours of the day as most of the condoms are only available at health facilities and other outlets but not where the people are,” he said.
He said the tussle between the government and the Commodity Exchange Namibia on the ownership and the intellectual property rights of the Smile branded condom a while ago had caused a shift from the real issue at hand.
“We should take away issues of our own individual interest and look at the population’s needs, we should not make decisions that compromise the response to the HIV pandemic,” he said.
Tjaronda also said condom repackaging should be tailor-made to appeal to the youth. “I would like to see a more user-friendly, accepted product for the young people. Young people are very selective on the products they use,” he said.
He said since the Cool Ryder branded condoms, supplied by the National Social Marketing Programme (Nasoma), that were a popular choice among young people were removed from the market due to donor fund withdrawal, there were a lot of new infections reported afterwards. Tjaronda also said there are currently not enough tools to target young people.
“Most of our health facilities are not youth-friendly. Staff are not trained to deal with the sexual issues facing young people and would rather criticise them for contracting sexually transmitted diseases,” he said.
This was revealed in the National Condom Strategy for 2013/14-2017-18 drafted by the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
According to the document, the role of CLO’s is to support condom logistics and promotion at district hospitals and regional medical stores and coordinate the condom programme at regional and district levels in collaboration with the regional government and NGOs.
CLOs also act as a link between the regional medical stores and the district hospitals, where condoms are stored, and local health facilities and other condom outlets run by the ministry and local stakeholders.
The ministry says that the lack of funds has resulted in a loss of several CLO posts and further handicapped their work because of a lack of computers and the need to share computers with regional office staff.
“These factors have impacted negatively on the ability of the CLO’s to perform the sub-national coordination and distribution responsibilities assigned to them,” reads the document. The document also estimated that some 70% of current free issue condom supplies are procured by the government.
Figures provided by the ministry also show a substantial decline in free condom distribution since 2008 and 2009.
“In that year, the total number of free issue male condoms distributed by the ministry stood at around 25 million. It then fell to approximately 21 million between 2009 and 2010 and 2010 and 2011, and then plummeted to some 15,3 million in 2011 and 2012,” says the ministry.
The ministry says free issue female condom distribution also declined over the same period, from 499 000 in 2009 and 2010 to 281 000 in 2011 and 2012.
“Although the ending of funding accounts for a substantial amount of the decline in 2011 and 2012, free issue condom distribution was on a downward spiral before the funding withdrawal,” the ministry reveals.
According to Executive Director of the Namibia AIDS Service Organisation Sandie Tjaronda, Namibia currently does not have a short-supply of condoms but there are “logistical hick-ups” in the distribution process.
“Since most of the condoms distributed by government are facility-based, there is a problem with accessibility. People are not able to access condoms at odd hours of the day as most of the condoms are only available at health facilities and other outlets but not where the people are,” he said.
He said the tussle between the government and the Commodity Exchange Namibia on the ownership and the intellectual property rights of the Smile branded condom a while ago had caused a shift from the real issue at hand.
“We should take away issues of our own individual interest and look at the population’s needs, we should not make decisions that compromise the response to the HIV pandemic,” he said.
Tjaronda also said condom repackaging should be tailor-made to appeal to the youth. “I would like to see a more user-friendly, accepted product for the young people. Young people are very selective on the products they use,” he said.
He said since the Cool Ryder branded condoms, supplied by the National Social Marketing Programme (Nasoma), that were a popular choice among young people were removed from the market due to donor fund withdrawal, there were a lot of new infections reported afterwards. Tjaronda also said there are currently not enough tools to target young people.
“Most of our health facilities are not youth-friendly. Staff are not trained to deal with the sexual issues facing young people and would rather criticise them for contracting sexually transmitted diseases,” he said.
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