The Inkatha Freedom Party calls for more awareness on family planning methods. This comes after women who are waiting to be able to get abortion services are “camping” outside overnight at Addington Hospital in Durban.
“We need to increase awareness to the public about family planning and services available to prevent unwanted pregnancies. In addition, men do not feature prominently when it comes to sharing the family planning responsibility.
There is a need of strengthening the empowerment of men, particularly adolescents and young men to increase the effectiveness of prevention of unintended pregnancies and STIs. We have men who discourage and go to an extent of stopping their women from making informed choices on family planning but that needs to stop,” said IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Health, Mrs Ncamisile Nkwanyana MPL.
“Despite the high awareness regarding some family planning methods among women and youths, there are noted common misconceptions about the use of family planning which constitute barriers, including misconception and fear of side effects such as pain, infertility, or birth defects that have to be addressed.
Increase in access to long-term and permanent family planning methods, increase in knowledge and acceptability of family planning methods in the community by dispelling myths and misconceptions about family planning should be enforced in increasing access to family planning. Resources are distributed to every corner of the country, failure in proper use of family services is not as a result of limited access to the services but rather by people’s mindset,” continued Mrs Nkwanyana.
“Lastly, we are very much concerned about the Addington issue because this situation exposes women to dangers of being raped and robbed by criminals at night. This situation needs urgent attention from the KZN MEC of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo because we are of the view that if people are not receiving help at Addington Hospital they will resort to back street abortions conducted by bogus doctors.
Bogus doctors use concoctions and pills which can result in illegal and unhygienic abortions that can have adverse effects on women leading to infections and the risk of not being able to conceive again. This issue deserves urgent attention from the KZN MEC of Health,” conclude Mrs Nkwanyana.
Issued by:
Mrs Ncamisile Nkwanyana MPL
IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Health
078 302 3991
