Webinar shares interesting figures, paradoxes, around emergency contraception in LAC Region
2nd March 2017
Prices of emergency contraceptives EC are higher in Latin America and the Caribbean than in Europe or the USA, a recent webinar has revealed. In addition, the poorer the LAC country, the higher the cost relative to income. In South America, for example, the cheapest EC pill costs 3.5 per cent of average weekly earnings, while in Central America it costs 6.8 per cent. In Guatemala, the cheapest EC pill costs nearly 18 per cent of the average weekly salary.
Jointly organized by the International Consortium on Emergency Contraception (ICEC), OPS/CLAP and the RHSC’s ForoLAC, the webinar provides an overview of different EC options, their modes of action, effectiveness as well as their availability, cost and side effects. Paradoxically, in countries such as Honduras, Peru, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, where EC use faces disapproval and can be controversial, knowledge about EC use has been growing steadily. During the course of the webinar, participants from Honduras specifically requested that ICEC continue advocating for EC so that contraceptive choice and access may be increased in their country.
While 60 lines connected to the event, several groups had clustered around computers in Honduras, Guatemala, Peru and Bolivia to hold in-person discussions around the webinar’s proceedings.
Category: ForoLAC