The Bhutanese women can soon choose to opt for a new contraceptive method called Norplant. The health ministry endorsed Norplant earlier this year and plans to introduce it sometime next year.
Norplant is a long-term acting reversible birth control method.
It consists of small rods implanted under the skin, which gradually release the hormone levonorgestrel over a number of years. Levonorgestrel is a hormonal medication used in a number of birth control methods.
The health secretary Ugen Dophu said it is being introduced to provide more family planning method choices to the people.
It is also to discourage people from going for permanent contraceptive measures such as vasectomy and tubectomy.
“The Ministry of Health is not in favour of permanent sterilization because after permanent sterilization, the couples break up. And they marry again and want to have a child and come back to the health facility to join the tubes,” Dr Ugen Dophu said.
Dr Ugen Dophu said while vasectomy and tubal reversals can be done, it doesn’t guarantee conception.
Norplant, he said, can be implanted and can prevent pregnancies up to three to five years. And in case couples decide to have a child, it can be removed easily after five to six months of its insertion.
For the insertion of Norplant, he said, a woman will have to undergo a minor surgery
“Now we are working on procurement, that is, how much to purchase and how to distribute in Bhutan and training of our health care providers. So once these are done, then it will be easily available in all the hospitals,” Dr Ugen Dophu said.
The ministry is also yet to finalise from where to purchase the Norplant contraceptive.
It will cost the ministry over Nu 12 M to purchase Norplant contraceptives for five years.
Bhutan introduced family planning contraceptives in the 1970s.
The existing family planning methods include both long and short-term contraceptives, such as DMPA injections, copper T, condoms and oral contraceptive pills.
