The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa has called for more discussions about the use of contraceptives as a means of stopping unwanted pregnancies.
Tayebwa made this call while meeting a delegation of the All Party Parliamentary Group from the United Kingdom on Monday, 30 May 2022.
The meeting was also attended by officials from Marie Stopes Uganda, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and members of the Parliament on forums of Food Security, Population, and Development.
The meeting centred on issues of family planning and sexual reproductive health and rights.
According to Tayebwa, poverty is the biggest driver of challenges related to reproductive health like early pregnancies adding that, ‘these are some of the things that the Parish Development Model will address’.
He said that when Ugandans have money and can pay for school fees and take children to hospitals, it leads to improved reproductive health.
Tayebwa added that there is a need for intervention and dialogue, especially on interventions not in line with African customs and beliefs.
“On early childhood pregnancy, our concern is that more investment should be made in preventing it instead of handling a pregnancy. If your focus can be more on that, you will win more and more people,” he said.
Tayebwa said that it is also part of the government’s policy now that pregnant students should be allowed to sit for their final examinations.
The Chairperson of the Committee on Health, Hon. Charles Ayume said that Uganda is registering tremendous contraceptive prevalence rate which is at 39 per cent compared to 20 or30 years ago.
Ayume added that although it looks corrosive, it is important for Uganda to have a healthy and productive population.
“I was in the UK recently and I was impressed that they can do early screening of these challenges before the baby is born. I think this should be where we are going…where they can do surgical procedures intra-uterine, “he said.
The Leader of the UK Parliamentarians, Baroness Liz Sugg said that for both UK and Uganda to grow, women and girls need to be supported in their sexual reproductive health and rights.
