Birth control gets costlier in densely populated Bangladesh

SMC, which controls most of the market, has raised prices of their popular products

Obaidur MasumSenior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 24 Feb 2023, 08:21 PM
Updated : 24 Feb 2023, 08:21 PM

Prices of birth control products such as condoms and contraceptive pills have increased - in some cases, by more than 50 percent - in Bangladesh, raising concerns that the hike may drive the population of the densely populated country and impact the health of its women.

The Directorate General of Family Planning has advised the poor to collect the products from government hospitals and clinics that distribute these for free as prices of some products have increased by more than 50 percent.

Price of a pack of Panther condoms rose by 66 percent to Tk 25, Sensation by 60 percent to Tk 40, U&Me by 25 percent to Tk 50 and Extreme by 28 percent to Tk 90.

Prices of contraceptive pills have also gone up. A pack of Femicon low-dose oral pills, a product of SMC, now costs Tk 40 after a Tk 6 hike. The price of Social Marketing Company or SMC’s other product, Minicon, a progestin-only pill, was unchanged.

A pack of Ovostat Gold by Nuvista now costs Tk 77 after a Tk 7 hike.

SMC controls 70 to 80 percent of the contraceptive market in Bangladesh, according to traders.

Bikash Roy, manager of S Rahman Pharmacy in Banani road No. 2, said SMC stopped supplying products for two weeks by the end of January.

When it resumed supply in the second week of February, it was charging higher prices.

“When customers ask us why the prices rose, we simply say it was the company’s call. We have nothing to do with it.”

Abul Hossain, the owner of Taqwa Pharmacy in the Kuril Biswa Road area, said Panther condoms and Femicon pills were in high demand and these were the products that saw a rise in prices.

“The company hiked prices of popular products. If we ask about it, they say it was due to the higher dollar price. But they raise the product price by Tk 3 if the dollar price rises by Tk 1.”

Other pharmacy employees also said that SMC halted supplies from about 15-20 days before resuming delivery with higher prices.

Enam Ahmed, a bank employee from the Kuril Biswa Road area, said such an abrupt price hike was “unjustified”.

“Raising prices without any rhyme or reason and not caring about government measures is only possible in Bangladesh.

“Toothpaste prices jumped to Tk 110 from Tk 80, toilet papers now cost Tk 32, rising from Tk 25. People don’t haggle while buying birth control materials, but the rise in their prices puts more pressure on our expenditures.”

Rayatun Tehrin, manager of marketing at SMC, said the price of contraceptives did not increase as much as other goods.

“SMC kept the prices within the purchasing power of the consumers by giving subsidies year after year despite a rise in commodity prices in the global market. The company is losing even more money,” she said.

Rayatun said prices of the dollar, raw materials, fuel oil, gas, power and import costs increased while a dollar crisis raised the cost of getting clearance from foreign banks to open letters of credit.

She also claimed the prices of the pills are reasonably fixed through the Directorate General of Drug Administration. “There’s no way to make the consumers pay more than they have to.”

Monjun Nahar, advocacy and communication lead of Marie Stopes, an NGO that provides contraception and safe abortion services, said such price hikes would impact birth control. “I might not be able to tell the number, but it will definitely have an impact.”

“Women usually can’t pick their preferred methods. They rely on their husbands’ decisions. And if they have no income, they will not be able to buy the products. The number of people buying the products will decrease.”

Few people know about the government’s programme to supply birth control materials for free, she said. Limited coverage is another problem of the programme, Monjun pointed out.

“The government’s birth control materials are very good. But it can be found in three or four places in Dhaka. So most of the people depend on pharmacies. We have to increase the number of people receiving the free products or the government has to collaborate with private hospitals and clinics to distribute them.”

The Directorate General of Family Planning distributes seven types of birth control materials for free. Family planning officials distribute them at people’s doorsteps in the rural areas.

These are also available at Upazila health complexes and union health centres, but the campaign in the capital is very limited.

Azimpur Maternity Hospital, Mohammadpur Fertility Services and Training Centre, Mirpur Lalkuthi Maternity Hospital, Tejgaon Thana Health Complex and Basabo Clinic along with Marie Stopes, Surjer Hashi Clinic, Family Planning Association Bangladesh, BAVS and Pathfinder are working on family planning in Dhaka.

“People may face some problems if the prices of birth control products rise. In that case, those who are unable to spend on these products can collect these for free from these hospitals or clinics,” said Dr Nurun Nahar Begum, line director of Clinical Contraception Services Delivery Programme at the family planning directorate.