Family planning remains massive challenge

REDUCING the vast unmet need for family planning remains a massive challenge in Namibia.

This was said by the executive director of health and social services, Ben Nangombe, at the commemoration event of World Contraception Day at the University of Namibia’s Neudamm campus last week.

World Contraception Day aims to promote awareness of contraception and to enable young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.

Nangombe said although one in two women between the ages of 15 and 49 uses a method of contraception, the country still does not meet the needs of many women.

“This unmet need is generally the greatest among women in the poorest 20% of households. Without access to contraception, poor women, particularly those who are less educated and live in rural areas, are at heightened risk of unintended pregnancy,” he said.

Nangome said the impact of family planning is beyond health, adding it is multisectoral and intergenerational.

“It is well documented that improved child health and nutrition have the potential to positively influence academic performance and behaviour. In turn, education is a key determinant of the uptake and consistency of family planning services,” he said.

The Namibia Planned Parenthood Association (Nappa) attributes the existing challenges to insufficient and unavailable services in many regions.

Nappa is one of the supporting partners assisting the government in delivering on its national development priorities set out in local development plans, such as the NDP5, and the Harambee Prosperity Plan.

The plan calls for inclusive healthcare services, including full access to family planning services as a right of women and girls, which is crucial to a healthy life.

Nappa spokesperson Louise Stephanus said a lack of public awareness of the various contraceptive methods, coupled with a lack of service delivery cause social constraints to persist in many regions.

“The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has brought further challenges, as the latest staggering figures surrounding teenage pregnancies across the country doubled for the 2020 academic year, recording about 3 627 cases. This is a sign that more needs to be done – particularly during this era,” she said.

Loide Amkongo, the assistant representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said ensuring access to affordable, quality contraceptives and sexual reproductive health services is a smart economic investment.

“This is even more critical in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which puts women and adolescent girls at heightened direct and indirect risk of unwanted and unsupportable pregnancy as a result of lockdowns, service disruptions, stockouts, financial hardships, and an increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence,” she said.

According to the UNFPA, contraception has prevented 188 million unplanned pregnancies globally, which resulted in 112 million averted abortions, 1,1 million fewer neo-natal mortalities, and 150 000 fewer maternal deaths.

The agency says more than 41% of the 208 million pregnancies that occur each year are unplanned.

Nearly half of these unplanned pregnancies end in abortion, the UN agency says.

The UNFPA further estimates that 33 million unintended pregnancies are a result of contraceptive failure or incorrect use.

It also estimates that up to 16 million adolescent females, aged 15 to 19, give birth every year, and says pregnancy-related deaths are the leading cause of mortality in young women.

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