Claude Mills, staff reporterMore than $7 million dollars worth of oral contraceptives, injectables and condoms will soon be available to the Jamaican public -- just in time for the sexually charged atmosphere of the carnival season.
In early February, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the development agency will be donating contraceptives valued at more than US$140,000 to the Ministry of Health/National Family Plan-ning Board once the consignment clears the island's ports.
"The UNFPA has not written to the Ministry formally about the donation but we have had dialogue with them and the donation will be made in early February. The contraceptives will come in very useful especially during the approaching carnival season, since the Ministry usually does a lot of condom distribution at that time," Rosemarie Lee, public relations officer in the Ministry of Health told The Sunday Gleaner.
"The Depo Provera should also come in handy to help our birth control efforts," she added.
According to Casper Peek, the officer-in-charge of the UNFPA, the consignment consists of Depo Provera Injec-tables valued at US$79,274 while the condoms are valued at US$68,200. There are reportedly three million condoms in the consignment.
"That's certainly a lot of condoms," chuckled Michael Am-mar Jr., head of the Bacchanal Jamaica carnival group. "How-ever, being in-volved in carnival for such a long time, I can say that it's not really true what they say about the sexual energy surrounding carnival, but the news of the consignment is great. If you're single, and attending some party, carnival or otherwise, it can't hurt to have a little insurance; this is great news."
The Bacchanal Jamaica carnival will have its launch on January 30 this year.
In the meantime, stakeholders in the reproductive health sectors are welcoming the donation.
"We became aware of the shipment because of the problems the UNFPA had to clear it as certain documents were not properly done. We welcome the consignment of contraceptives from the UNFPA because it will help us in some of our budgetary concerns because we import Depo Provera at least once a year, depending on the usage," a representative at the National Family Planning Board, said.
