Some residents of Chinsali District in Muchinga Province have expressed concern over the misuse of the contraceptive “Morning After” by women in the district.
Kenneth Mbewe, a Chinsali resident has attributed the misuse of the morning-after pill which is used for birth control to a lack of information on the usage.
Mr. Mbewe said many women regularly use the said pills without knowing the consequences of the drug.
He charged that the Ministry of Health should consider regulating the drug for users.
Mr. Mbewe added that introducing a prescription from the health facility for one to access the birth control pills will reduce on the misuse of pills.
“Women must not use this morning after pill regularly and the ministry of health must issue out prescriptions when one has to access it,” he said.
He added that easy access of the pills by young people contributes to the spread of Sexually Transmission Infections (STIs) and HIV- AIDS among other diseases.
And Evelyn Temani, a Chinsali youth stated that there is need for proper guidance on the use of the pill, adding that it is not a 100 percent guarantee for one not to fall pregnant.
“Many women tend to take more than five every month which is an overdose and harmful,” she said.
Meanwhile, a Chinsali based registered Pharmacist Edify Hampande has however stated that information on the usage of the morning after pill is readily available.
Mr. Hampande adds that a leaflet of instructions on how to use the pills are inserted inside the box together with sachet for the pills.
He said most users seem to be ignorant on the conseqences of misusing the pills because they are only interested in the pills hence they do not read instructions before use.
Mr. Hampande who is also a Chairperson for Chinsali Media and Cooperate Affairs Committee of the Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia says there is no need to regulate the morning after pill because it is an emergency pill that needs to be readily accessible.
“The drug is an emergency pill and must be taken at the right time, many people in rural areas will not wait for a prescription from the hospital but easily access it for the right reasons,” he said.
He has further warned women to reduce on the consumption of the drug as it has a risk of causing breast cancer.
Bapakisa ma morning after events ku Sinsali kwamene uku. Could they be misusing these pills or are they over-indulging in activities that require the pill? Hopefully reproductive health counselors can come to the aid of the ladies and also teach them other ways to “stay safe”.