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Friday, July 15, 2016

New Delhi – Faced with angry Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) refusing to distribute repackaged condoms called Asha Nirodh given free under the national reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, the Union health ministry is exploring other distribution options, which may include vending machines.

“This concept of ASHA workers distributing condoms is anyway flawed,” said a senior official in the ministry of health and family welfare. “One of the ideas floated was to have condom-vending machines put up either outside grocery stores in villages or primary health centres for people to pick up voluntarily.”

“ASHA workers are women from within the community, who will not be comfortable in directly distributing condoms to men. What they would be doing instead is giving it to the women and that would defeat the purpose as we know how much say a village woman has in the decisions her husband takes,” said the official.