Free-of-cost condoms gathering dust at government health posts

Published On: July 24, 2019 05:00 AM NPT By: Ramesh Khatiwada

Health experts believe that massive rise in women using temporary birth control means has led to the decline in demand for condoms.

DOLAKHA, July 24: Number of people visiting health post to collect free-of-cost condoms has drastically declined. Following this, a health post in Dudhpokhari of Sailung Rural Municipality-1, a remote village in Dolakha, has stopped making them available for the locals.

According to the health post in-charge Shyam Sundar Yadav, the condom box was removed from the health post after it started gathering dust.

“Although people are aware that condoms are available for free of cost, they do not collect any of them from the post. Since the condoms are running out of date, we have stopped keeping condom box on the premises of our building,” said Yadav.

The problem is common in many health posts located in the district. Despite government making it available free-of-cost to promote safe sex and prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), the demand for these contraceptives is declining in many local health posts across the district.

“Despite the lack of demand for condoms in villages, we are supplying the remaining stock to different health posts. Ten health institutions located in Kalinchowk Rural Municipality have been providing them free of charge,” said chief of Charikot health office, Damber Thoker.

“Eleven thousand pieces of condoms received from the health office of the rural municipality in the last fiscal year remain unused,” said Thoker.

According to Thoker, the case is completely opposite in the context of women. Although the demand for condoms is declining, an increasing number of women are found using family planning devices including birth control pills and injections.

Health experts believe that massive rise in women using temporary birth control means has led to the decline in demand for condoms.

However, they also believe that the availability of dotted and flavored condoms might have brought down the demand for normal condoms.

“The condoms that are found in markets are highly lubricant compared to the ones that are delivered free-of-cost. This might have prevented men from using free-of-cost condoms,” said Thoker.

“Some people might feel uncomfortable or might need privacy in terms of such matters. This also could have deterred people from taking home condoms provided by health posts,” added Thoker.