{Mothers in Gicumbi district say they are getting frustrated over huge cash demands made by nurses to enable them access family planning services, forcing some to abandon the practice altogether. }
Intensive family planning campaigns that started 1st August, 2015 across the country are meant to be offered at Rwf 300 for the mituelle de santé subscribers while those that are who are not insured are required to pay Rwf 1000.
Some women seeking health care at Byumba health center in Gicumbi district who requested anonymity narrated to IGIHE how family planning payments affected citizens.
“I have been practicing family planning for long. But some women abandoned the program immediately payments were introduced. I know cases of women who got pregnant over lacking financial means to pay for the service of family planning. Other people don’t understand the practice. It would be better if the government talked to them early about the need to pay for family planning,” said one resident.
Another user of family planning services says; “In the past when we came to immunize our kids, we would also request nurses to give us family planning services to avoid pregnancies while our children are still young. However, the situation has changed. All women leave immediately after getting their kids immunized over requesting them to pay for family planning service. For instance I know some women in my locality that got pregnant while they had little kids. I was also uncomfortable with such payments required for family planning,” said another woman.
Angelique Mukarukwaya, a nurse working at Byumba health center in charge of family planning services, said that people who didn’t understand why they have to pay for family planning services will get used with the situation over time.
She stressed the need to conduct more awareness campaigns about the relevance of paying for the service.
The ministry of health says payment for family planning services was launched to support some health centers which did not have adequate materials required for the same.
“The amount of money they pay is not much. We need to undertake more mobilizations so that women can understand the reason why the payments are required,” said Nathan Mugume the Communications Director, ministry of health.
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