The US government's decision to incinerate over $9.7 million worth of contraceptives will lead to significant reproductive health crises in five African countries. The majority of these supplies were intended for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Mali, with many products not expiring until 2027-29. IPPF's offer to redistribute the contraceptives was rejected, resulting in a loss of access for over 1.4 million women and girls. In Tanzania and Mali, significant percentages of annual contraceptive needs will remain unmet.
The decision by the US government to destroy over $9.7m worth of contraceptives is expected to lead to 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions across five African countries.
Marie Evelyne Petrus-Barry of IPPF states, ‘This decision to destroy ready-to-use commodities is appalling and extremely wasteful... The choice to incinerate them is unjustifiable.’
In Tanzania, the destruction of contraceptives will mean over 1 million injectable contraceptives and 365,100 implants will not be distributed, representing 28% of annual needs.
Dr. Bakari from Umati emphasizes that funding cuts from USAID have already severely affected sexual and reproductive health services in Tanzania, causing a shortage of contraceptive commodities.
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