Health around the week

A recent report on a research conducted by Family Planning 2020 indicates that Rwanda has registered a significant reduction in overall unfulfilled need for contraception, making it one of only six countries whose unmet need is less than 15 per cent. The report indicates that in Rwanda, the use of modern contraceptives helped to prevent over 213,000 unintended pregnancies and 559 maternal deaths. Telesthore Nambajimana, the director of programmes at Rwandese Association for the Promotion of Family Welfare, attributed the achievements to the intensive awareness and education programmes on family planning that helped to break the barriers that restricted women and girls access contraception. In eye health, at least 180 people with cataracts from across the country are set to get free surgical operation at Ruhengeri Hospital during a weeklong treatment in Musanze District in an operation organised by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with Barraquer Foundation. In other news, more than 3,000 being circumcised in the last three months in Burera District, men have been advised to desist from promiscuity. François Xavier Urimubenshi, the director of Gahunga Health Centre said circumcision is not 100 per cent effective in preventing sexually transmitted infections The government hopes to have at least 700,000 males between the ages of 15 and 49 across the country circumcised by the end of 2016 using both surgical and non-surgical system (PrePex).