Story by Tamuka Charakupa
MASHONALAND West Province will on October 4 host belated commemorations of World Contraceptive Day in Mhangura, against the backdrop of troubling statistics on adolescent pregnancies.
Speaking at a media briefing in Chinhoyi this Tuesday, the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) said the decision to decentralise the commemorations was informed by Mashonaland West’s high adolescent pregnancy prevalence rate, particularly in mining communities.
Mashonaland West’s adolescent pregnancy rate is at 31 percent, slightly behind Mashonaland Central with 37 percent, while the national average stands at 23 percent.
The Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, is set to preside over the event and also expected to launch the Zimbabwe National Planning Cost Recovery Framework.
The policy framework is set to inform a roadmap on domestic funding of contraceptives to match the country’s national demand of around US$18 million.
