KAMPALA – Only 50% of the women in marriage are using a method of family planning with only 41.4% using a modern method, the report has revealed.
The Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA) National Family Planning Survey disseminated on Friday was conducted by Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Population Council.
Data shows that the percentage of women who were using a modern method of family planning stands at 34.4% and 34.9% for 2021 and 2023 respectively, recording no improvement in MCPR.
Dr. Simon Kibira, a researcher and Senior Lecturer in public health focusing on reproductive health noted that they have also noticed an increase in traditional methods, something he called for immediate attention.
“If somebody is trying to use traditional methods probably they’re easier to capture into the modern bracket than somebody who has not been using anything.”
He said that family planning implementation plan 2, (2020-2025) aims at increasing the modern contraceptive prevalence rate for all women to 39.6 and to 46.6 among married women by 2025, against the current 41.4 and 46.6.
“We still have three years to go, we need to do quite a lot to hit our target.”
The data also indicates persistent high unintended pregnancy rates.
“We see that 21% of the unmet need (women who don’t want to have a child within the next two years but are not doing anything to avoid getting pregnant) was due to method discontinuation,” Dr. Kibira noted.
Study shows that less than half of the women who delivered in the last the one year (2020-2021) adopt a method of family planning within one year after delivery and only half of the women who said in 2021, that they’re intending to use a method of family planning within 12 months ended up adopting in phase in 2022.
The survey has credited the facility readiness to offer implants, noting that it has improved between 2021 and 2022.
On the other hand, the study shows that the injectables which are the most used method of family planning have the highest stock-out rates at the service delivery points both in the public and private facilities.
Dr. Betty Kyaddondo, head, National Population Council dismissed claims of stock-outs saying that the facilities don’t know when to expect the next release of the commodities.
“The Ministry of Health has ensured that health facilities are able to quantify the needs but they’re also able to make orders through the districts to National Medical Stores and National Medical Stores has created a very robust system that ensures that facilities are delivered for the last mile.”
She, on the other hand, blamed contraceptive stock-out on the growing gap in population which increases the need for family planning.
“So we need very robust financing, very comprehensive financing, but we also need to have sustainable financing.”
Officiating at the event, Prof. Umar Kakumba, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Makerere University, noted that the University through projects such as performance monitoring and action continues to be relevant in providing that evidence that can help social and economic development of the country.
“Indeed, Performance Monitoring for Action is one of those critical aspects that make projects and investments of various stakeholders relevant because without monitoring performance, without looking at the data, how are you going to foster improvement?”
Dr. Charles Olaro – Director, Health Services at the Ministry of Health commended Makerere University School of Public Health for conducting the survey since 2014, noting that the data collected will continue to inform family planning decisions making in Uganda.
“So the PMA findings have been really instrumental for how we address to reduce the unmet needs of families for family planning.”
According to him, from the last PMA survey, the country has made progress towards increased modern contraceptives.
Dr. Olaro, however, noted that there is a need to address issues of family planning counseling for new users receiving modern methods from health facilities “because there is a lot of misinformation in this area of family planning.”
MakSPH implements PMA Uganda, in collaboration with Uganda Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Health, and with support from stakeholders. Overall direction and support of PMA is provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Jhpiego.
