Women in Bugiri District have expressed concern over a lack of female condoms available in the area, which they believe has resulted in more sexually transmitted infections.
The women made the call during a meeting held at Nabukalu Sub-county headquarters last week, a local source reported.
According to Ms Rehema Kagoya, the chairperson of the women’s council of Nabukalu Sub-county, the lack of female condoms in the area has greatly affected their sexual rights, adding that there is a need for government and non-government organisations to intervene in the matters as this will help reduce the HIV/Aids scourge.
Ms Kagoya said most of the women in the area had never seen a female condom and they even don’t know how to use them. “I have received complaints from some of the women claiming they want to use female condoms but they are not available at the health facilities” she said.
However, the coordinator of Advocacy for Better Health (ABH), Mr Denis Batalingaya said according to the consultative meetings that are being carried out through the entire district, residents are complaining about increased absenteeism of health workers which has affected service delivery in the district.
Mr Batalingaya said the meetings also revealed that health workers close health units early, especially in the rural sub-counties of Lwemba, Budhaya, Nankoma, Buluguyi, and Nabukalu.
He attributed this to limited supervision of health workers in the district and lack of staff quarters. “The health inspectors only supervise the health centres once in a quarter which makes health workers relax and ignore their duties,” he said.
ABH is a USAID project aimed at sensitising citizens to demand improved health and social services, and it is implemented by Path.
