There has been a shortage of contraceptives in Zimbabwe since the gradual withdrawal of international family planning partner organisations in the past three years.
At one time the freely available Marvelon oral contraceptive pills were being smuggled into SA for resale.
Hospital staff in Zimbabwe would sell the pills for an equivalent of R5 to dealers who would sell them in SA for three times as much. The Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) received most of its free supply from the UN Children's Fund (Unicef).
Now, only the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) supplies Zimbabwe's health ministry with contraceptives such as birth control pills, and injectable contraceptives - while private pharmacies charge extortionate prices for them. A pack of 28 birth control pills goes for ZWL$30, and a birth control injection at a private surgery costs ZWL$100.
"We are currently getting money from IPPF only. The funds are very low [relative to the] demand," said ZNFPC Manicaland provincial manager Dyson Masvingise.
The Zimbabwe Health Demographic Survey conducted in 2018 found that seven out of every 10 married women want access to oral contraceptives, whereas nine out of 10 unmarried women prefer condoms. ZNFPC said that, because of the shortages, about one out of every 10 married women who need oral contraceptives cannot get them.
"This might look like a small figure but when you quantify it, it's a huge population," Masvingise said. "So in terms of impact, what it means is that once we have only donors funding the family planning commodities into the country, we have a serious challenge because once they move out, there is no readily available support."
There was an urgent need to establish a domestic fund for family planning, Masvingise said.
"As a country we don't have any cent that can actually go towards procurement and sustenance of that programme. We are sitting on a ticking timebomb. It's high time the country comes up with domestic funding with respect to that programme, supported by Treasury," he said.
POPULATION INCREASE
The country needs up to $12.3m in 2020 to meet the demand for contraceptives and family planning services.
Statistics supplied by ZNFPC indicate that the gap between the financial commitment of international donors and the demand for family planning in the past five years has continued to widen. In 2014, $9.9m in donor funds was needed to fund family planning interventions, but Zimbabwe received only $8.2m.
Donor funds slipped further to $5.9m against a need of approximately $10.2m in 2015, and dropped further to $1.9m in both 2016 and 2017 against a rising demand of $10.4m and $11.4m respectively.
ZNFPC warned that this would have adverse effects on the population, as well as negative implications for the country's economy.
"Unwanted or unplanned-for babies affect people's relationships and economic planning. Such things add to an increase in baby dumping and stresses related to economic hardships," said ZNFPC Bulawayo provincial manager Blessed Gumbo.
Zimbabwe's population increased sharply to 17-million from 14-million between 2012 and 2017, according to figures from the government.
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