Busia, Marie Stopes to engage men in contraceptives uptake

The burden of contraception is heavier on women in Busia so a health services provider is partnering with the county to get men to use condoms or try vasectomy. 

The county government of Busia and Marie Stopes want to reach male boda boda riders and teens with comprehensive reproductive health messages. 

Marie Stopes regional marketing coordinator for Nyanza Deborah Adhiambo said men have for long been disengaged on sexual and reproductive health, including contraception. 

Adhiambo said it is time men got involved in the matter they perceive to be a women’s affair since reproduction is a concern for both.

“We want to have a discussion with the county sexual and reproductive health mostly on adolescents and also get more male involvement which has been a crisis. We need men to get involved,” Adhiambo said.

She said some women hide the fact that they are on contraceptives but the men do not know that they should take a crucial part in birth control.

The coordinator said Marie Stopes and the county government will discuss organising forums where men can freely discuss the subject.

“This time we are going to be strong on male engagement,” she said.

“We will be doing targeted outreaches for males and having forums with boda boda riders. Besides, we will introduce a programme for teenagers. We will be going to offices out of the Ministry of Health and engage stakeholders like the Ministry of Youth Affairs so that we get a feel on how we can help the youth for us to reduce teen pregnancies.”

She said the partnership includes dialogues organised for teens to directly engage their peers. 

Information gathered will inform how Marie Stopes and the county government help teens overcome challenges with sexual and reproductive health.

Adhiambo said men should know while women mostly take contraceptives, they experience so much because of side effects. 

“If you (man) feel you have eight kids’ for instance, and you are unable to take care of more children because of the bad economy, it is prudent to say, for example, let me do a vasectomy. If you cannot do vasectomy, use condoms.” Adhiambo spoke in Busia town during a meeting on sexual and reproductive health.

County director of public health Melsah Lutomia said Busia takes seriously adolescent sexual and reproductive health matters. The county government is keen on empowering women and enhancing the education of girls.

“Sexual and reproductive health touches on matters early pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases among young people. It opens avenues on how girls and boys can be protected to have an opportunity to enhance their education to completion,” she said.

She said the partnership with Marie Stopes will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to look at issues related to sexual and reproductive health. Partners will look at how to reduce the high teenage pregnancies reported in Busia.

Busia is among counties where the flow of information on sexual reproductive health is still low. The county is among those with the highest teen pregnancies in the country.

By 2017, the county had a teen pregnancy rate of 21 per cent which was higher than the national rate of 18 per cent.

Busia, according to Lutomia, is also among counties with the highest rate of new HIV-Aids infections among teens.

Medical services director Janerose Ambuchi in 2017 blamed married men for the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the county.

In attendance during the Tuesday consultative forum were county immunisation coordinator Juliet Adagala, health records and information manager James Kuya and chief nurse Tito Kwena.

Others were community health services coordinator Emmanuel Luvai and reproductive health coordinator Alice Yaite.