Unintended Pregnancies and 5,500 Unsafe Abortions Prevented Since July 2017
A groundbreaking international report on family planning released today shows the use of modern methods of contraception on the rise in South Sudan, as the Government for the first time dedicates funds in the national budget to family planning.
- In its 2017 FP2020 commitment the Government of South Sudan committed to:
- Increase the portion of national budget dedicated to health from 1% in 2017 to 4% by 2020
- Establish a dedicated budget line in the Ministry of Health (1% of health expenditures) for Reproductive Health and Family Planning from the 2017/18 budget. (In the Ministry of Health’s budget, there is now a dedicated budget line for reproductive health)
- With over half of girls married by age 18 and modern contraception used by 2.7% of women aged 15-49, South Sudan has one of the highest maternal and child mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa and globally.
- Among women aged 15-49, an estimated 85,000 are using a modern method of contraception in 2018. This is 35,000 more than in 2012.
- As a result of modern contraceptive use between July 2017 and July 2018:
- This year the government with its civil society and donor partners prioritized increasing access to reproductive health services through the public and private sector, for all segments of the population, including young people, people with disability and prisoners.
- The number of women and girls using a modern method of contraception in the world’s 69 poorest countries had grown to more than 317 million, as of July 2018.
- This is 46 million more users than in 2012 (the year FP2020 was launched) – an increase that is around 30% greater than the historic trend.
- The use of modern contraceptives is growing the fastest in FP2020 countries in Africa: as of July 2018, 24% of women of reproductive age in these countries are using a modern method.
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