TORORO – The State Minister for Primary Health Care, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu has cautioned development partners offering reproductive health services in the country against administering contraceptives to
juveniles.
While gracing the 63rd Annual General Meeting of Reproductive Health Uganda held at Rock Classic Hotel Tororo today, the minister revealed that the service should only be administered to Ugandans who are willing and of acceptable age.
Moriku added that it is true that 25% of the young girls get pregnant at the ages of below 15 years and service would help safeguard them from teenage pregnancies but it is not a healthy to Uganda as a nation that is God-fearing country with strong cultural and religious backgrounds.
The minister commended Reproductive Health Uganda for championing offering youth-friendly services a contribution she said has helped reach out the young people who demand special services.
The minister disclosed that reproductive health Uganda is one of the key health actors that government has continuously relied on because of its good intentions in the areas of disease management.
She appealed to all other key health actors to join the government in putting up more focus on health promotion and disease prevention interventions that can minimize disease burden that has hit the country.
She said other than concentrating resources in treating diseases, it is important to address the causes of the diseases because of some of the diseases are expensive to treat but can be prevented to avoid those costs.
She called upon leaders at various levels to embarking on serious sensitization of communities reminding them to have manageable families to reduce the rapidly growing population due to the high fertility rate in the country that she said is greatly impacting negatively to the country’s economy.
However, the minister of primary education Rose Mary Nansubuga Seninde also the outgoing chairperson of the national executive committee Reproductive Health Uganda challenged the ministry of health to push for allocation of resources to fund unfunded priorities to enable health actors to address gaps in reproductive health services stock out and be in a position to reach services and information to the young people.
She also appealed to the ministry to champion agitation to the formulation of health policies such as sexual reproductive services education adding that most times young people fall into trouble not because they
want it but due to lack of information.
