Kenya’s methods of birth control ‘safe’

Family planning methods being used in Kenya are safe, the government said on Wednesday. The Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation singled out implants, saying they were not to blame for causing infertility and cancer.

“Currently, the government provides two types of implants, Jadelle and Implanon, which are two and one rod implants respectively. Some of the side effects associated with implants include weight changes and irregularity in menses,” the government said in a press advertisement.

These side-effects are individual based and do not necessarily affect every user. Many women are using implants comfortably with no side-effects at all, the ministry said. A number of women had started discarding implants after they were said to cause infertility and cancer besides having other life-threatening side effects.

But the government said it procured all contraceptives, including implants, from reputable pharmaceutical companies, which are World Health Organisation certified. The National Quality Control Laboratories also certified the quality of family planning products before they were released for public use, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the Medical Services minister wants all available ambulances pooled in zones to make them more useful and effective in service delivery. Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o said most of the ambulances in various hospitals were underused, yet they were required in other places for emergencies.

This, he said, was a waste of resources since both public and private hospitals needed to be consolidated. He said the private hospitals would be called upon to collaborate with government hospitals in the delivery of this vital service, of which the hiring institutions would have to pay for.

When kept in a pool regionally, the vehicles would be easily accessible when needed, the minister said. He cited Nairobi Hospital, Nairobi Women’s Hospital, MP Shah Hospital, Aga Khan Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital as good examples of institutions that could pool their ambulances.

Prof Nyong’o was reacting to complaints by residents of Nyathuna Village of Kiambu District when he toured the local sub-district hospital on Wednesday.

Additional reporting by KNA