Women in Siaya are unable to make the right choice of contraceptives due to lack of comprehensive counseling, a survey carried out by a nongovernmental organisation, Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA) has revealed.
Speaking during the release of the research findings, PMA lead researcher, Professor Peter Gichangi noted that lack of comprehensive counseling was to blame for the inconsistent use of modern contraceptive methods by residents.
Prof Gichangi who made his presentation via Zoom said that 45 to 58 percent of the public health facilities in Siaya were not doing comprehensive counseling.
“The research found that comprehensive counseling between implants and injectibles showed a 10 point difference,” Gichangi said adding that 41 percent of injectables users interviewed said they did not receive comprehensive counseling against 31 percent of the implants users.
He called on the county health department to push for enhancement of thorough counseling and impartment of the right information to the clients to improve the uptake of modern contraceptives in Siaya.
Addressing the media, Siaya County Executive Committee member for Health, Dismas Odhiambo Wakla said the data generated will help the county government make informed policy decisions.
“The data will help us programme interventions in a manner that would be responsive to the needs of our people,” said Wakla.
The county health boss hailed the collaboration between the county government and the ministry of health, national council for population, the Kenya national bureau of statistics and the international centre for reproductive health all of which made the research a reality.
