The Ministry of Health is concerned about the declined consumption of condoms by Ugandans despite the fact that the government is providing them freely. It has prompted the Ministry to launch a study that will establish the kinds of condoms Ugandans prefer to use and why.
Commenting on this, RX Radio Presenter Fatboy said that the focus on using condoms is most times directed at men yet women have an equal role to play in using them.
“Too often, messaging regarding condoms is targeted at men and yet women have just as much say on whether or not to use a condom. In fact, a lot of times in sexual situations, it will be the lady to request for the condoms not to be used,” he said.
Olive, the co-host on the show, admittedly revealed how some women justify not using condoms by saying that they make them itch while others complain that the material makes them dry thus agreeing with Fatboy that promotion and marketing of condoms needs to target both genders.
According to Vashta Kibirige, the Coordinator of the condoms unit at The Ministry of Health, some men don’t like using government condoms because of their monotonous pink colour unlike sold brands that come in different flavours which make the user feel good and are more pleasant to use because of their perfumed scent.
Fatboy added that the smell of the raw latex is often unappealing and ends up worsening the situation for women who have reactions to lubricants. “Raw latex almost smells like a burnt tyre, and if she's not doing well on the lubrication side of things, then that makes it even worse. The room will smell like a crime scene. So maybe it's something the flavoured condoms do better,” said Fatboy.
However, Dr Moses Okello, a public health expert argued that a number of Ugandans aren’t using the free condoms because they regard anything given freely by the government as being substandard, to which the presenters agreed to while relating to the Lifeguard condom incident.
Regardless of this, they advised Ugandans to use condoms as they get into the weekend in order to protect themselves and their partners from acquiring preventable diseases while encouraging the Health Ministry to improve on their communication.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, Sarah and Lesham every weekday from 6am to 10am on RX Radio.