04 Sep 2018

Palapye District Health Management Team (DHMT) has expressed concern about the low uptake of the female condom.

Speaking in an interview, health promotions officer, Mr Thato Bailanye said the DHMT has observed that women preferred the male condom over the female one.

He assured women that the female condom was made from a soft plastic material called nitrile and that it was as effective as the male one when used correctly a.

Mr Bailanye encouraged woman to use the female condom correctly and consistently to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, revealing that it has since been improved and was no longer inserted eight hours before sexual intercourse.

Meanwhile, he said the male condom continues to dominate, adding that since the introduction of flavoured ones, the demand has gone up. He commended students from the Institute of Development Management (IDM)’s public health for assisting the Palapye DHMT in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other STIs.

He said the students efforts included donating condom dispensers at the bus rank to increase access to condoms, and promoting safe sex amongst members of the public. He urged other stakeholders to join hands with DHMT to fight STI’s and unwanted pregnancies.

Mr Bailanye also commended stakeholders such as African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP) for their support.

One Palapye resident, Ms Tlamelo Baile said she preferred the male condom, revealing that the female one was not as appealing and caused discomfort during sexual intercourse. BOPA