Uganda in vasectomy drive to stem population growth


The ministry of health has acquired vasectomy equipment aimed at encouraging men to undergo surgery in order to curb high population growth in the country.

The deputy director sales and marketing of Pace Dr. Goretti Masadde (right) hands over some of the machines from. Photo by Francis Emorut

“The vasectomy equipment has been purchased and the programme to involve men in family planning is to start soon and health workers are going to be trained on how to use the equipment so that men will have chance to participate in reproductive health,” Dr. Collins Tusingwire the assistant commissioner for reproductive health in the ministry of health said.

Tusingiwre was addressing reproductive health service providers during the handover of 20 cry therapy equipment meant for cervical cancer screening to 20 health service providers at Ridar Hotel in Mukono district on Tuesday.

The equipment worth sh8m was donated by Pace with support from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Tusingwire remarks was in response to lack of male involvement in family planning which has been left to women only.

He also echoed MPs sentiments in a recent meeting who asked why the ministry was not promoting vasectomy country wide.

According to Reproductive Health Uganda only 40 vasectomy cases were carried out in 2012 across their health sites countrywide.

The commissioner appealed to health service providers to get contraceptives supplies from Uganda Health Marketing Group or else they will expire.


The executive director of Pace, Zaach Akimenyi, pointed out that cervical cancer is one of the two most common causes of cancer related deaths in Uganda.

He said up to 3,577 women are diagnosed every year and about 2,464 women die from the disease which is preventable and curable once detected early.

He said the equipment is intended to provide early life saving cancer treatment to mothers and women of reproductive age at affordable and convenient way.

He said the organization intends to screen and treat over 170,000 women in the period of four years.

“Under this initiative all 185 ProFam clinics will be offering visual inspection with Ascetic acid to establish or rule out presence of cancer onset. If suspected cancerous cells are found, preventive therapy using Cryotherapy machines will be provided,” Akimenyi said.

Amon Mulyowa, the communications manager maternal and reproductive health said Pace intends to increase sites of reproductive health services from 185 to 250 by 2014.

By Francis Emorut, The New Vision

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