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Uganda might soon allow children from the age of 10 to get family planning

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4-9

Uganda’s Ministry of Health is proposing to allow children from the age of 10 years to access family planning services in fight against early pregnancies, reports the Daily Monitor.

The ministry’s policy statement requires all health facilities to provide birth control methods such as condoms, diaphragm, contraceptive pills, implants, IUDs (intrauterine devices), sterilisation and the morning after pill.

The policy asks public health to provide quality services to all adolescents irrespective of age, sex, ability to pay, marital status, school status, education level, location or ethnic origin.

“There is need to focus efforts on delaying sex debut and increasing contraceptive use among sexually active adolescents. All adolescents are eligible for the health services. Increase age-appropriate information, access, and use of family planning among young people aged between 10 and 24 years,” reads in part the document titled ‘National Policy Guidelines and Service Standards for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.’

The public health targets universities, schools, religious centres, youth clubs in schools and Local Council/Youth Council meeting places. Others are workplaces, recreational centres, electronic and media platforms and key social gatherings.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Ms Vivian Nakaliika, yesterday said the policy was launched some time back but is currently under review.

“We need to ensure our own children get the right information, material, content and guidance from the right people. Government should not lose its way because somebody in the business community is trying to take advantage. We should not be misguided by donor funds and give away our own children,” Mr James Tweheyo, Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu) general secretary, said yesterday.

“Uganda ranks among the top 10 countries with high maternal, newborn and child mortality rates despite attempts in improving health of children, adolescents, women and men in the country. Only 20.4per cent of Ugandan women use a modern method, the unmet need for family planning stands at 34per cent and contraceptive prevalence at 30 per cent while teenage pregnancy is high at 24per cent resulting in unsafe abortions that account for an estimated 28 per cent of maternal deaths annually,” the ministry’s policy document says.

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