By Dimithri Wijesinghe
In countries such as ours which are part of the developing world, women’s reproductive health mostly depends on government policies and programmes providing access to resources on same, including contraceptive methods.
While Sri Lankans do not expressly talk about sexual and reproductive health and often shy away from it, our health system has made it so that resources are available not only to those who seek it, but also to those who need it.
Speaking to Family Planning Association (FPA) Director of Public Affairs, Policy, and Advocacy Sonali Gunasekera, she shared that the Government, that is the Ministry of Health, has taken the initiative together with non-profit organisations to provide for the sexual and reproductive health of women and girls of reproductive age. The Family Health Bureau (FHB), which is the focal point for maternal and child health (MCH) in Sri Lanka, is also heavily involved in providing resources and care.
Sonali shared that in Sri Lanka, almost all married women of reproductive age have heard about family planning methods. The national-level contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) is 65%.
Considering the global pandemic however, the status quo has changed quite a bit and the new United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) projections predict a serious impact on women’s health as Covid-19 continues. While the circular shared by the UNFPA contain global statistics, Sonali said that it is reflective of what women will and are currently experiencing in the island as well.
The UNFPA circular provided that millions of women will be losing access to contraception, which will lead to a large number of unintended pregnancies in the coming months.
“Before the pandemic, the government services ensured that they would go door to door providing contraceptives and giving other family planning advice,” said Sonali, adding that officers would provide extensive knowledge on family planning, especially to women who have had children already, while providing advice on how to heal and rest one’s body before they are able to have another child.
Women are unable to access family planning resources and will be facing unintended pregnancies, and according to the data released by the report, she said that the number of women who will experience these issues will skyrocket in the months ahead.
Some of the major concerns would be health systems becoming overloaded, which will then result in many women foregoing important medical check-ups for reasons such as fear of contracting the virus, and also due to difficulty of access.
Global supply chain disruptions may also lead to significant shortages of contraceptives. On this topic, Sonali said that in Sri Lanka, while female sterilisation is the most commonly used contraceptive method, an IUD (intrauterine device) is the most popular non-permanent contraceptive method (used by 11% of married women), and of all women adopting these contraceptive methods, most obtain their services from government sector institutions. She stressed that in the current situation, they will all be left stranded.
She said that particularly, concerning implants and injections, if they do not reinsert or get a shot within the prescribed time period, such as the three-month requirement for the contraception shot, we are most likely to see either an unprecedented amount of births or a lot of abortions.
UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem, in reference to the global statistics released by the UNFPA, said: “This new data shows the catastrophic impact that Covid-19 could soon have on women and girls globally. The pandemic is deepening inequalities, and millions more women and girls now risk losing the ability to plan their families and protect their bodies and their health.” She also added: “Women’s reproductive health and rights must be safeguarded at all costs. The services must continue, the supplies must be delivered, and the vulnerable must be protected and supported.”
