By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe is currently experiencing an acute shortage of family planning pills with pharmacies and private institutions also affected.

Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council Matabeleland regional officer Blessed Gumbi said the shortage of the contraceptives has become a crisis.

He said:

“We are running dry on contraceptives and it’s a countrywide crisis that we are struggling to contain.

We have nothing in our stocks and at Zimbabwe National Pharmaceuticals which affects pharmacies as they normally buy from us.

However, we are expecting a shipment at the beginning of September and we are hopeful that will improve the situation.

We are short of the Control pills, the most used by women but we still have low supplies of the Secure pills which are accessible. However, Secure pills are on demand compared to the Control hence the challenge.2

Gumbi suggested that members of the public should approach health institutions and access alternative methods while waiting for the pills.

He further recommended using condoms as a viable birth control measure.-StateMedia