BY Lenah Bosibori

Kenya’s Ministry of Health has received a donation of 31,300 sets of Jadelle contraceptive implants geared towards improving access and reduce stock-outs of family planning supplies.

The contraceptives, procured with funding from the United Kingdom will be distributed to health facilities across the country, contributing to the aversion of 60,073 unintended pregnancies, 1,014 maternal (171) and child (843) deaths, and 17,299 unsafe abortions.

Jadelle Implants is a form of a female hormone used to prevent pregnancy and are a long-term - up to 5 years reversible method of contraception.

Ms. Eduarda Gray, Deputy Development Director at the British High Commission said that the UK government is committed in supporting reproductive health services.

“The UK is committed to being a global leader in supporting reproductive health services,” she said when she handed over the supplies.

She notes that the UK government has worked with the Kenyan government to ensure that more people have access to and use family planning services in the last six years through delivering equitable and sustainable increases in family planning.

Dr. Patrick Amoth, Director General for Health in the Ministry of Health said that Kenya is grateful to the UK government and the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency (UNFPA) for the continued support to the national family planning program.

Dr. Amoth said that Kenya is not looking at family planning as a reproductive health issue, but also as a socio-economic development intervention that contributes to the prosperity of the country.

“The availability of quality and accessible family planning is key to the realization of the Kenya’s development goals,” he adds.

According to Anders Thomsen, Representative of UNFPA in Kenya the contraceptives handed over to Kenya will not only improve women and girls’ health but also impact the economy.

Thomsen notes that the UNFPA is estimating that Kenya will save approximately Kenya shillings 582 million in direct healthcare costs associated with unintended pregnancy.

By 2030, Kenya aims to increase the modern contraceptive prevalence rate for married women from 58 percent to 64 percent, and reduce the unmet need for family planning for all women from 14 percent to 10 percent by 2030.

This donation of contraceptive implants will complement Kenya’s efforts to increase access to family planning to reach this goal.

The UK has been a longstanding partner of UNFPA and the Government of Kenya in efforts to ensure Kenyan women and girls have access to sexual and reproductive health information and services.

The contraceptive implants delivered to the Ministry of Health are valued at Ksh 34 million will go a long way in eliminating the gap in accessing reproductive health products.

The UK has also provided an additional shilling 165,003,627 in funding for the procurement of additional family planning commodities through the UNFPA supplies partnership.

The commodities which include male condoms, DMPA-IM, and implants, will upon procurement be handed over to Kenya for distribution to 100 primary health care facilities across Kenya. 

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