The Protection Gap: Why Bangladesh Faces a Looming Contraceptive Crisis
Imagine a month where a basic necessity for health and family planning simply vanishes from the shelves. For millions of people across Bangladesh, this is not a distant scenario; it is a looming reality. A month-long shortage of condoms is expected to hit the country early next year, and the reasons are as frustrating as the potential consequences are serious. This is a story of administrative delays and financial gaps that could have a lasting impact on the nation’s health.
Officials report that in recent years, contraceptives have been in short supply and that the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) may not be able to supply contraceptives free of cost, as stocks are likely to run out in 39 days.
The crisis stems from a combination of financial hurdles and significant administrative bottlenecks. The Directorate General of Family Planning is currently facing a severe funding shortage, which has halted the usual flow of essential supplies.
Beyond the lack of money, a shortage of manpower has slowed down the complex procurement process, leaving the entire supply chain vulnerable, as reflected in the words of Ershad Ahmed Nomani, Deputy Director of DGFP, who said that 25 per cent of field-level posts, such as family planning assistants and inspectors, family welfare volunteers, and sub-assistant community medical officers, remain vacant. These bureaucratic delays mean that the stockouts are expected to peak around February or March, leaving many without the protection they rely on daily.
A shortage like this is about much more than just a missing item in a local pharmacy. It is about the health of women, the stability of growing families, and the long-term progress of national health goals. When protection becomes unavailable, the risk of unplanned pregnancies rises sharply, and this puts an immense physical and emotional burden on families.
People in rural areas, who rely almost entirely on government-distributed supplies, will be hit the hardest. Furthermore, the absence of these items increases the risk of sexually transmitted infections, creating a secondary health crisis that the country is not ready to manage right now.
The national contraceptive summary report stated that the condom supply has dropped by 57 per cent over the past six years. The other four contraceptive items distributed by the DGFP have also seen a decline in supply since 2019. Oral pills have seen a reduction of 63 per cent, IUDs of 64 per cent, injectables of 41 per cent, and implants of 37 per cent.
“These contraceptive items could be restocked soon, provided that an ongoing legal issue over the purchase is resolved,” – Abdur Razzaque, Director, Logistics and Supply Unit, DGFP.
The impending shortage represents the failure of the entire system in understanding the significance of reproductive health in the well-being of the entire citizenry. It does not require simple injections of money to solve this problem. It needs a strong procurement system. As the deadline gathers momentum, the authorities need to work towards filling this gap so that no citizen is left with the reality of a one-month deficit.
Source: NDTV World