ZIMBABWEAN men still prefer that their wives go for different family planning methods available than them going for vasectomy, a Population Services Zimbabwe (PSZ) clinical expert told journalists on Wednesday at a family planning workshop in Kadoma.
By Veneranda Langa
Raymond Chikoore, the PSZ clinical services director said in 2017, his organisation, which specialises in sexual reproductive health, only administered 63 vasectomies. Vasectomy is a surgical procedure for male sterilisation where the male vas deferens were cut and tied or sealed to prevent sperm from entering into the urethra and thereby preventing fertilisation.
He said although the figure is an increase compared to previous years when men shunned vasectomy, more than 353 000 women visited PSZ clinics to access family planning services to different methods such as tubal ligations, IUCD and implants like jadelle, which lasts for five years and implanon which lasts for three years. Chikoore said the figures only represented clients that visited PSZ clinics, but were much higher, as many Zimbabweans accessed family planning services at public health institutions and other private clinics.
“In 2017 the PSZ administered 63 vasectomies on men seeking family planning services,” Chikoore said.
“The youngest man to get a vacectomy was as young as 30 years old and his reasons were that he did not want any more children,” he said.
Chikoore said some of the reasons why some men would get a vasectomy were that they would be sensitive to the plight of their wives, who might be experiencing side effects with contraceptives.
Although there was talk that the world would soon see the introduction of the male contraceptive pill, Chikoore said this has not yet been approved yet, as research on the pill was still ongoing.
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For men that want to prevent contraction of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies, the condom is another option, especially in HIV prevention, as facts say that using a condom makes sex 10 000 times safer than not. They are said to be safer even for persons with latex allergies as there are latex-free condoms.
National Aids Council communications director, Madeline Dube said there was need for government to disburse money for family planning activities, like contraceptives, as they reduce unwanted pregnancies while condoms also reduce sexually transmitted infections.
Getrude Katsande the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council provincial manager said, while family planning can be a boon in developed countries like Italy and Spain where the population is decreasing, it may be a curse and is detrimental to developing countries like Zimbabwe that are still seeking economic growth.
