Bangladesh To Face Month-Long Condom Shortage. Here's Why

Bangladesh is set to face a shortage of condoms amid already spiralling chaos after the death of anti-India student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Condoms will be unavailable for at least a month next year due to a fund crunch and manpower shortage, per a report by The Daily Star.

Officials say that a steady supply of contraceptives has been dwindling since the last few years and that the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) may not be able to supply contraceptives free of cost, as stocks are likely to run out in 39 days.

The national contraceptive summary report stated that the condom supply has dropped by 57 per cent over the past six years. The other four contraceptive items distributed by the DGFP have also seen a decline in supply since 2019. Oral pills have seen a reduction of 63 per cent, IUDs of 64 per cent, injectables of 41 per cent, and implants of 37 per cent.

"These contraceptive items could be restocked soon, provided that an ongoing legal issue over the purchase is resolved," Abdur Razzaque, the director of DGFP's logistics and supply unit, said.

Regarding manpower shortage, Ershad Ahmed Nomani, deputy director of DGFP, said that 25 per cent of field-level posts, such as family planning assistants and inspectors, family welfare volunteers, and sub-assistant community medical officers, remain vacant.

Such workers distribute contraceptives and counsel the public.

The shortage hits Bangladesh when its total fertility rate has already seen a rise for the first time in 50 years, and a shortage of contraceptives could further increase the rate.

Moreover, Aminul Islam, a professor of population sciences at Dhaka University, has noted that recently couples have been reluctant towards family planning and prefer to have more than two children.