An acute shortage of reproductive health supplies has emerged at the field level across the country, risking unplanned pregnancies, abortions and women’s health services.
There is no supply of contraceptive items, including contraceptive injections, prophylactics (condoms) and birth control pills, at stores of many upazilas across the country and at the grassroots level, said sources of the Directorate General of Family Planning.
Insiders of the department said that more than half of the upazilas in the country are facing an acute shortage of contraceptive products. The upazilas are also facing shortages of maternal and child health medicines.
A review of the current stock of family planning products at the upazila level reveals the situation.
As per the assessment, the stock of condoms is diminishing fast at the field level. Although condoms are the common contraceptive items for men, there are no condoms at the stores of 349 upazilas across the country, while an additional 97 upazilas are likely to face stock depletion soon.
On the other hand, stores at 22 upazilas have only minimal stock, while stores at 38 upazilas are facing a shortage of birth control pills (sushi), 105 upazilas are on the verge of running out of stock, and 207 upazila stores have only minimal stock.
The stores of 67 upazilas have no birth control pills (Apan), 102 upazilas are facing imminent depletion and 99 upazilas have minimal stock. Furthermore, 298 upazila stores do not have injection supplies, 155 upazilas anticipated rapidly depleting their stock, and 33 upazilas maintained only minimal stock levels.
The crisis of contraceptive items has intensified following the move of a newly promoted official in a key position of the Directorate General of Family Planning under the Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
Insiders said that a deputy director, now elevated to the position of director in the department, has reportedly cancelled 12 purchasing schedules for contraceptive items. The decision has further intensified the crisis of essential birth control products.
Sohail Parvez, a director of the Directorate General of Family Planning said that he assumed the post on May 24 last year. Since then, he has been trying to procure contraceptive items but he has been facing challenges in this regard.
Marzia Haque, another director of the department admitted the shortage of medicines related to women's and children’s health and the supply of condoms and birth control pills. She, however, said that efforts are underway to overcome the situation, expressing optimism that the crisis will be resolved immediately.
An official of the family planning office in the Chattogram division said that there was not a single injection in his district. The last injection was used on January 31.
The crisis of contraceptive products has not been created overnight. Experts said that this situation has emerged due to the lack of accountability. If the situation continues for long, there is a risk that this will have an adverse impact on the country’s population.
The shortage of birth control medication is not only affecting the family planning efforts but also raising the risk of a surge in HIV/AIDS infections. The lack of adequate stock of family planning materials poses a serious threat to the government’s family planning initiatives.
Mohammad Mainul Islam, a professor of the Department of Population Sciences at Dhaka University said that if there is a shortage in the supply of contraceptive items, poor people may go to the private sector. This may lead to a decrease in the use of contraceptive products. It is not expected. It is urgent to increase the stock of family planning items immediately, he suggested.