Female condom still not popular

MARANYANE NGWANAAMOTHO
Staff Writer | Friday July 30, 2010 00:00

A survey at several government clinics and health posts has revealed that the female condom is scarcely used although it is provided free of charge.

At Dibete Health Post only 'two or three,' people use the condom said a health worker who preferred not to be named.  At Etsha Health Post, it was discovered that the available condoms had expired, and none of the staff could confirm that anyone utilised it at all.

At Gamajaalela Health Post, a health worker said that the condom is available although it is not used. At Goo-Sekgweng Health, the condom is available but is not preferred as compared to the male condom.  The same case applies at Gootau and Letlhakeng health centres.

However, the attitude toward the condom is different at Goodhope Primary Hospital where reports are that its use is average. 'We sometimes have to ask for it elsewhere so we believe a good number of people use it,' said a nurse.

However, the female condom was not available at Chanoga Health in Maun area and at Lerala Health.Despite such reports of the condom lying in clinics with scant utilisation, the ministry says it has noted a greater acceptability rate of the condom from those who have used it before. 

Chief public relations officer at the Ministry of Health, Temba Sibanda says that 84 percent of the population involved in a two-phased rapid assessment in 2001, conducted in Selebi-Phikwe, Maun, Mahalapye, Gaborone and Ramotswa to gauge acceptability of the female condom indicated that they liked the condom.

'Participants were asked about their experiences using the condom.  Out of the 165 respondents who came for the second phase, 85 percent had tried the condom, and of these, 84 percent indicated general acceptance of the condom whilst 73 percent indicated they were comfortable using the condom,' he said.

Again, in the study, participants were assessed for prior knowledge and attitudes on the female condom, and then educated on its correct usage and how to negotiate its use with their partners, Sibanda indicated.

Sibanda says there has been great awareness of the condom since the Bliss campaign, which gave the condom a new image and improved its uptake.  However, he admits there is still need to teach the general public about the use of the condom. 'There are plans to strengthen knowledge on the use of the condom as well as strengthen training of health care providers on promotion of the female condom,' he said.

Again, he says there is need to do more research to grasp the perceptions of Batswana about the condom. 'There is need for an in-depth assessment of perceptions of Batswana on the use of both male and female condoms, especially given that both condoms are important for family planning and prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV,' he said.