More than half of currently married women (58 per cent) use a contraceptive method while the youths below 24-years are the larger consumers of these methods at 68 per cent. This is according to Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2014.The most popular modern contraceptive methods used by these group women are injectables (26 percent), implants (10 per cent), and the pill (8 per cent). Use of modern methods has increased over the last decade from 32 per cent in the 2003 KDHS to 53 per cent in 2014. 18 per cent of currently married women have an unmet need for family planning services, with 9 per cent in need of spacing and 8 percent in need of limiting in Kenya.
An assessment study focusing on family planning services and commodities supply in county in health facilities in Kisumu County had its preliminary results disseminated, Tuesday, at Imperial Hotel.
The study sampled 90 health facilities in Seme, Kisumu West, Kisumu East, Muhoroni, Nyakach and Nyando sub counties.
Only 14 per cent of the facilities in Kisumu County can provide long permanent method of contraception that is Bilateral Tubal ligation BTL in women and Vasectomy in men.
Only some facilities in Kisumu East and Kisumu West sub-counties could offer these two services while the remaining sub counties had no facility and skilled providers who can offer the same services.
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Training and Referral Health County and referral hospital and Chulaimbo County hospital provides all family planning services.
However, Out of the sampled 90 health facilities, above 86 of these facilities regularly provide contraceptive pills, injectables and contraceptive implants.
The study further revealed that most the dispensaries have no designated storage space for FP commodities and thus these commodities are jungled up with other commodities and it stands at 26 per cent. Speaking at the dissemination Kisumu County Director of Health, Dr Dickens Onyango admitted that the FP coverage in the county was still low and a lot needs to be done with the help of partners such as KMET.
“We must let our data speak for us so that we can evaluate and monitor our services at the facilities.” he noted.Kisumu County Reproductive health Coordinator, Dr Rosemary Obara while giving a closing remarks noted that the disseminated preliminary findings on the FP situation in the County was a powerful tool to approach the County top management to improve on the storage conditions for commodities in the county.