‘No cause for alarm,’ medical agency says, as 5000 contract STDs, 8 million condoms distributed in Copperbelt

More than 7.5 million condoms have this year been supplied to the Copperbelt in an effort to provide free contraceptives, the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) has announced.

ZAMMSA Senior Manager-Public Relations, Bradley Chingobe, said the agency had supplied a total number of 6,975,020 male condoms through regular orders, as well as an additional 552,920 condoms included in the Health Center Kits distributed across the Copperbelt this year.

Chingobe said this in a statement issued on Monday responding to some media reports indicating that over 5,000 people in the Copperbelt have been treated for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) this year, despite the fact that ZAMMSA had distributed significant amounts of condoms to the province.

“The Agency has also made available 49,844 female condoms. This adds up to nearly eight million male and female condoms provided to health care facilities in the Copperbelt in the current year,” he said.

Chingobe assured the public that there was ample stock of Reproductive Health commodities, including both male and female condoms, nationwide.

He stated that there was no need for concern regarding a shortage of these essential commodities in any region of the country.

He also urged the public to fully utilise these freely available reproductive health commodities at the over 3000 public health facilities across the country.

“Taking cognizance of the critical role that these lifesaving commodities play in our communities, ZAMMSA has consistently delivered essential medicines and medical supplies countrywide.

“We encourage all facilities to maintain routine orders and to communicate with ZAMMSA for the possibility of placing emergency orders if stock levels are critically low,” he said.

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