Bangladesh is a country experiencing many problems. India’s neighbour is struggling to maintain law and order — there’s been cases of Hindus being attacked, one even died as a result of a lynching. There’s also the rising tensions with India to contend with.
And now, it seems Dhaka has another problem to grapple with — a shortage of condoms for at least a month, which puts the country’s family planning programme at stake.
But what’s behind the shortage of the contraceptive? What could be the impact of such a shortage? We examine the ongoing situation in the country.
How bad is Bangladesh’s condom shortage?
Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) is expected to completely run out of condoms in just 39 days, reported _The Daily Sta_r, adding that the shortage is expected to continue for at least the first month of the new year.
According to the DGFP, as of December 11, the agency has stocks of condoms for 39 days. Moreover, other contraceptives such as oral pills, intrauterine devices (IUDs), injectables, and implants are also in decline.
The country only has IUDs for 45 days; oral pills for five months and 18 days; and injectables for six months and 15 days.
Community clinics across the country have been struggling with the dwindling supply of contraceptives. Parvin Khatun, at Char Korai Barishal Community Clinic, was quoted as saying earlier, “We used to receive 250 strips of contraceptive pills monthly. Now we are getting only 30-40 strips. We have the injections, but no syringes. As such, we can’t meet the local demand adequately.”
Reacting to the situation, Abdur Razzaque, director of the DGFP’s logistics and supply unit said that the contraceptives would be restocked soon, provided that an ongoing legal issue over the purchase is resolved.
Where are Bangladesh’s condoms?
Officials said that the supply of condoms has been dwindling over the years, reaching a breaking point now. In fact, an official from the DGFP told The Daily Star that the health ministry had halted the purchase of condoms and other contraceptives for a year in 2023, resulting in the supply gap. At the time, the country used those funds to procure other items, owing to which family planning took a back seat.
DGFP Director General Ashrafi Ahmad said the crisis deepened after the expiry of the Fourth Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Programme (HPNSP) in June last year. In the past, most contraceptives were bought under the scheme.
Exacerbating the situation is the shortage of field-level workers. DGFP Director General Ashrafi Ahmad said that recruitment for certain posts has been halted due to legal complications.
As per the national contraceptive summary, the supply of condoms has been dwindling in Bangladesh along with other contraceptives. The report revealed that condom supply has fallen by 57 per cent over the past six years.
In 2019, the country supplied 97.48 lakh condoms as part of their family planning programme. This number fell to 47.65 lakh in 2024. And as of September this year, the Bangladesh authorities have supplied 41.52 lakh condoms.
There’s a similar pattern for other contraceptives too. Oral pills has seen a decline by 63 per cent, IUDs by 64 per cent, injectables by 41 per cent, and implants by 37 per cent.
Why does this matter to Bangladesh?
The lack of contraceptives in Bangladesh is a worry, say family planning experts. They note that unplanned growth in population could negatively impact the country’s economy, education, health, and overall development.
Many experts note that Bangladesh’s population already exceeds 180 million, making it the eighth most populous country in the world. Bangladesh is also believed to be one of the few countries with a high population density — more than 1,200 people live per square kilometre in this country, and the situation is at risk of worsening.
What’s even more notable is that the shortage of contraceptives comes at a time when Bangladesh is already seeing a population boom. Dhaka’s total fertility rate has risen for the first time in 50 years to 2.4 per cent. Experts point out that the TFR could increase further due to the shortage of contraceptives.
Experts have said that a rapid population growth could also reduce the availability of capital per person and limiting access to essential services such as food, water, housing, sanitation, healthcare, education, and employment. This, in turn, fuels poverty, inequality, crime, and environmental damage.
Professor Dr Ferdousi Begum Flora, former president of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh, was also quoted as telling The Daily Star, “The country has been experiencing a prolonged shortage of contraceptives, which will have far-reaching effects on our population and economy. The shortage of contraceptives will lead to an increase in unwanted pregnancies, which will not only increase the population but also raise the abortion rate. Consequently, the maternal mortality rate due to abortions will also increase. Women will face various health risks.”
She emphasised that ensuring an adequate supply of contraceptives should be treated as a national priority for a populous country like Bangladesh.
The timing of the shortage of condoms also coincides with the ongoing unrest that the country is experiencing following the death of student leader
Sharif Osman Hadi. The youth leader, who was known for his anti-India stance, was shot in the head on December 12 and died days later in Singapore. His demise has resulted in wide scale protests across the country, which also saw the lynching of two
Hindu men.
With inputs from agencies
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