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  • Title: Limited access. Contraceptive costs may impede use.
    Author: Camp SL.
    Journal: Conscience; 1991; 12(6):12-3. PubMed ID: 12178843.
    Abstract:
    An estimated 290 million more couples will require modern contraception in the 1990s--a 60% increase. Many developing countries and donors strive to switch more of the burden for the rising cost of health and family planning services to the private and commercial sectors. Most family planning specialists promote the shift. Indeed research shows that in some places an equal number of people would use nominal priced contraception as would use free contraception and services. Many people often do prefer private sector services since they tend to be more accessible, dependable, and congenial than public sector services. The vigorous drive towards global privatization of and self sufficient family planning services may instead render modern methods too costly for many poor couples in developing countries. Research indicates that no one should have to pay 1% of income for contraception. Other research demonstrates that individuals tend not to pay for preventive health services, but do willingly pay for curative health services. They consider family planning services to be preventive health services, except for abortion for which they pay dearly. In many developing countries, the private sector cost for oral contraceptives ranges from 5-37% of average per gross national product capita, IUDs from 5-70%, and sterilization from 10-250%. These costs are indeed too expensive for poor couples. Yet these respective costs in developed nations vary from .1-.7%, .1-1%, and 1.7-4.7%. Moreover 50% of the population in developing countries have access to affordable contraceptives. This is especially true in Sub-Saharan Africa where the condom need is crucial to stem the AIDS pandemic. Therefore governments must be committed to universal availability of contraceptives by subsidizing private practitioners and commercial stores and providing free contraception to all in need.
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