YVZ concerned with number of people accessing contraceptives

—Youth Vision Zambian (YVZ) has bemoaned the low number of people accessing family planning services especially in rural areas.

YVZ Executive Director (ED), Amos Mwale, observed that Zambia is making positive strides in the area of reducing infant and maternal deaths, but a good number of girls and women in rural areas do not have access to condoms among other necessities.

Mr Mwale, a public health specialist with expertise in the field of HIV and AIDS and co-founder of Youth Vision Zambia, stated that health authorities only give three condoms to the people who requests for them instead of 149 condoms contrary to the UN 2015 MDG on quality health standards.

He was speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today.

He said giving out a limited number of condoms is posing a health risk to the reproductive age group of people aged 15 to 49 year who are in dire need of condoms as a contraceptive measure.

Mr Mwale said it is in this direction that his organisation is lobby Government through the Ministry of Health to ensure that more condoms are provided to the youths so that they lead positive lifestyles instead of being frustrated by engaging themselves in illicit behaviours.

The HIV prevalence rate in Zambia stands at 16.3 and millions of HIV andAIDS patients are put on free antiretroviral drugs at most health centres dotted in the country.