A critical shortage of condoms has reportedly hit Sanyati district, which incorporates the gold-mining city of Kadoma, where commercial sex work is rife.
The crisis could result in risky behaviour among young adolescents and key populations and negate strides made thus far in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Free condoms are not readily available at strategic and convenient dispensing places while the products are also unavailable for sale in pharmacies.
The shortage could lead to an increase in transmission of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and incidents of unwanted pregnancies.
Speaking during the first quarter provincial stakeholders' meeting held in Chinhoyi on Wednesday, Sanyati district AIDS coordinator, Amnot Chipandambira said the shortage had reached crisis level.
"We have a condom crisis in theSanyati district. We had a caucus meeting with the DMO (district medical officer) and we roped in DAC (district AIDS coordinator) Mhondoro and other partners and we all agreed that we have a crisis that we don't have condoms in the district," said Chipandambira.
"At Kadoma General Hospital and pharmacies, there are no condoms. In clinics within the communities, there are no condoms. We have community health advisers who raised that issue again...so in Sanyati we don't have condoms."
However, at a few clinics dotted across the expansive district, few quantities are available and need to be redistributed to areas where condoms are most needed while seeking long-term solutions to the crisis.
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"We are in the process of identifying clinics with condoms than what they want at the present moment and redistribute to areas where we don't have condoms at all whilst pursuing the issue of getting condoms with various stakeholders," Chipandambira added.
Stakeholders noted there were also intermittent shortages in districts such as Makonde and Zvimba where there is a need for condom redistribution.
National AIDS Council (NAC) provincial manager, David Nyamurera, assured stakeholders that his organisation has adequate fuel and other logistical resources to ensure equitable and timely condom distribution to needy spots to avert risky behaviour.
The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ), which is mandated with testing and certifying the quality of condoms, has, at times, been blamed for delaying the process before the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) distributes to Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC), hospitals and other services providers. Sometimes, these delays cause outright shortages.
