Free Family Planning Injection For Teenagers- ZNFPC

Masvingo Correspondent

The Zimbabwe National Family planning council is distributing the newly introduced contraceptive injection for free to all under 18 years girls in Zimbabwe.

Provincial Marketing and Communications officer Herbet Chikosi said they now have a new contraceptive, self administered for teens called the Sayana press being offered for free to all people under the age of 18.

“Sayana Press is being offered for free, to make sure that family planning methods are for all, and to demistify the myth that if you haven’t given birth or you are a non-para you are not supposed to take any contraceptive which is wrong” said Chikosi.

The self admistered contraceptive injection has been on a low uptake due to its inaccessiblity to many women especially in rural areas.

“Generally we cannot say there is low, uptake, we are getting there but the biggest challenge is that individuals are comfortable getting a service which is found everywhere, so our clientele is now the middle class around town only

Unlike Mashonaland East and Matebeleland North and South, Bulawayo where they are getting it at a large scale. The unfortunate thing about Masvingo is we have two centres providing the service” he added.

Sayana Press is only available at ZNFPC and PSI New Start Centre in Masvingo. It has also proved to have less side effects and it also gives women a variety of choices when it comes to contraceptives.