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Pharmacies will now serve as the new frontline for contraceptive access following a new initiative aimed at expanding services to the private sector.
The launch of the Subcutaneous Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA-SA) Sayana Press, to be supplied by pharmacists, offers new hope for women by reducing access barriers and reliance on healthcare facilities.
Sayana Press is a self-injectable contraceptive that is administered every three months.
It’s a prefilled all-in-one injection system that combines the drug and the needle, making it a more convenient option for users
In a bid to increase accessibility, the Ministry of Health has partnered with various organisations to ensure that the product, which is already available in the public sector is now offered for sale in private facilities as well.
During the launch, Edward Serem, head division of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, said the programme has been authorised to increase access to women in remote and underserved areas.
“The good thing about it is that it can be administered by a healthcare provider or a woman can be trained to self-inject herself,” said Serem.
Serem noted that the Ministry had begun training pharmacists to offer the contraceptive to women at the nearby pharmacies.
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“Pharmacists now are being trained to offer the family planning method; if a woman wants the contraceptive, they are first of all counselled by the pharmacist,” he added.
Once the pharmacists complete training by the ministry, they are accredited to administer injections and provide counselling services to the clients.
Newton Siele, Chief Executive Officer at Philips Therapeutics Limited, highlighted the benefits of the contraceptive method.
“This family planning method gives women a choice for contraception for three months. It has been available in the public but not in the private sector, that's why we have partnered with a number of organisations to bring that service to the private sector,” Siele explained.
Despite the long-standing availability of self-injectable contraceptives in public facilitiesSiele highlights the benefits of Sayana Press.
“The price of the three-month self-injection is equivalent to one emergency contraceptive. With the three-month protection, the woman can make that decision to consciously protect herself for three months much safer,” Siele added.
The product manufactured by Pfizer is regulated by the Pharmacies and Poisons Board to avoid misuse.
Though market research and analysis have been conducted, the trained pharmacists still face some challenges.
Nicola Mutungi, telehealth marketing manager at MyDawa, mention that price variability presents a significant hurdle.
“Pricing of the product is still a challenge, because the clients are getting it from the public sector for free or even much lower price, they feel that the private sector is too expensive. On our platform, it's about 900. There is still a lack of awareness on the product,” Mutungi highlighted the challenges.
As the private sectors slowly introduce the self-contraceptives retail option, it braces for challenges ahead.
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