By Staff Reporter
Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora says he ordered the distribution of huge stocks of donated condoms at the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) he said were unnecessarily being kept while occupying potential space to fresh deliveries of medicines.
Mombeshora was speaking in parliament on Wednesday last week while giving assurances the country has enough stocks of condoms to be sourced free of charge from various centres in the country.
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Dzivarasekwa MP Edwin Mushoriwa had raised concern some young sexually active Zimbabweans from poor backgrounds could find purchasing condoms over the counter a financial burden.
Mushoriwa asked the minister if the government has taken staps to ensure condoms were affordable to all.
“Condoms that come through global funds and NAC are distributed for free, so I cannot comment on the prices that are now on the market, but we have plenty,” Mombeshora said.
“I am surprised because a few months ago we had a challenge of space at NATPHAM and I ordered that most of those condoms be distributed because I was saying you are keeping a lot of stock, let that stock go out so that we create space for incoming drugs and other commodities.
“I am not very sure whether these are our commodities that are being sold or whether people are abusing our commodities because when we distribute them for free, they collect them and start selling them, I cannot comment on that.”
