The country will soon face a shortage in birth control pills due to a botched procurement process. This will create a major obstacle in population control efforts and undermine women’s reproductive rights – two issues of utmost importance to the country. The government should take all measures necessary to ensure that this crisis is averted.
The problem reportedly arose because the wrong type of pills was supplied by the company contracted. A new procurement process is likely to take almost a year to complete, leading to severe shortage starting in January 2014.
Information has surfaced that the new procurement process is being delayed because of corruption. Infighting among ministers, lawmakers and ruling party leaders about the share of commission on the tender has apparently put the decision-making process in limbo.
Curbing population growth has been a priority for Bangladesh for decades and a lapse now will reverse the gains made in recent years.
Just as importantly, access to birth control is an issue of women’s reproductive rights. Without giving women access to means of controlling when and how many children they will have, all the rhetoric on women’s empowerment falls flat.
The stakes could not be higher and further delaying the procurement process is unconscionable. The government has a duty to ensure that the issue is resolved as soon as possible.
