Family planning services curtailed in Gulu District
James A. A. Otto, Secretary General, Human Rights Focus
email: humfo@ africaonline.co.ug
"Family planning is the oldest service provider in Uganda. We have been in the International Planned Parenthood Federation since 1957. As you know there has been a shift in funding priorities ever since the collapse of the Eastern Block and the Soviet Union.
In Uganda, the level of funding has not increased, but the areas of need have widened. (During this time) IPPF has had to turn down its activities allowing support for only 6 clinics in Uganda, down from 23. Uganda was divided into 6 IPPF regions, and the clinics are model clinics at the regional level. They are model clinics in the sense that they will offer integrated services at a one stop center. Facilties for Sexually transmitted disease, malaria, labratory tests, and so on. Meanwhile, the clinics that were open in the districts are allowed to remain open if they can raise the resources. In Gulu we found that if this clinic was closed, all our clients would be left without services (since travel to a regional clinic is impossible)
Gulu has a very unique problem because of the insurgency which has continued for the past 16 years. Our people are packed into the camps, where they have plenty of time because they are not engaged in useful activities on the land. So when you have adults and peer groups concentrated in one small area and they have plenty of time, unless they are prepared in the area of family planning, then in the camp you will have teenage mothers. We have girls in the camp of 14 years who are mothers. So there is a lot of work here that would be done. And so we have said, let's keep the clinics open on a voluntary basis while we are going to support."
The leadership of IPPF, Gulu has given a proposal to this delegation that includes clinic services in Gulu town and outreach to the residents of the refugee camps.
return to Gulu