By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
NATIONAL
The deputy speaker of the parliament of the Republic of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Thomas Bangirana Tayebwa is worried about condoms that are varying in sizes, with some being very small and others quite large.
The deputy speaker directed the minister of health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng to present a statement responding to house demands on the different sizes of condoms which legislators say the majority of the supplied condoms are too small to fit many men putting them at a risk of acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
This comes at a time when Uganda is going to commemorate the National Condom Day due on February 13, 2024. Speaker Tayebwa further tasked the ministry to include in the statement the relevancy of celebrating National Condom Day and sensitize Uganda’s on the same.
“That is a day I have never heard of being celebrated but I think Parliament is a platform which we use to inform the public and educate the public about these issues. SO honourable minister please issue a statement on this,” Tayebwa said.
In her response, the minister told parliament that the day is commemorated to sensitize the public on the importance of condoms and highlight their effectiveness in offering protection against HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
“The National Condoms day is commemorated annually and it is true that people know about condoms, but many don’t use them for protection, so the day is held as an advocacy to remind people to use condoms for protection. The member is requesting that we bring a paper here, Speaker I will leave that to your discretion,” said Minister Jane Ruth Aceng
On several occasions, Ugandan men particularly from the Karamoja subregion were complaining about the small sizes of condoms saying they cannot fit them. Two other communities such as Ik and Tepeth have never seen a condom and cannot visualize how it is used. The youth too complain that condoms which health officials supply in the area are to short and tight prompting them to abandon use of condoms. The Karimojong demand that manufucturers start to manufacture large sized condoms which comforts them.
This year’s National Condom Day celebrations will be commemorated in Lyantonde district which is among the districts with high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.
