A worrying trend of girls mixing paracetamol tablets, commonly known as Panadol, with milk is emerging among young girls in Kalangala district who are desperate to avoid unwanted pregnancies, Daily Monitor has established.

Young girls are turning to this ineffective and dangerous method due to limited access to reliable contraceptives.

Namuli (pseudonym), a 19-year-old student, says she first discovered the method while working at the Misonzi landing site in Bufumira sub-county a year ago .

“When I dropped out of school last year, I started engaging in commercial sexual activities to survive. The women I worked with taught me to use two Panadol tablets with a cup of milk to avoid pregnancy,” Namuli told this publication on Monday.

“They said it was the best option if I couldn’t access a health facility,” she added.

Namuli explained that the process involves boiling a cup of milk, letting it cool to a warm temperature, and then taking two Panadol tablets with warm milk.

During a survey conducted by Power to Youth between August and September, it was found that this method is common among different age groups in remote landing sites on the Kalangala Islands.

Power to Youth is a consortium of three non-governmental organizations; Reproductive Health Uganda, the Uganda Youth and Adolescent Health Forum and the East Africa Subregion Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women.

“During our investigation, we found that girls below the age of 19 usually take two tablets (of Panadol) with milk; people aged 20 to 25 years would take four tablets and women above 25 years would swallow six tablets with a cup of hot milk,” said Mr. Jonathan Kiboneka, Power to You(th) Kalangala District Officer .

The survey, according to Mr. Kiboneka, covered a representative sample of 30 respondents (young girls aged 15 to 25) from the Kalangala municipality and the two sub-counties of Bufumira and Mazinga.

Ms Dorothy Ziribagwa, a youth advocate under the same program in Mazinga sub-county, said this ineffective practice among girls highlights serious gaps in reproductive health education and access to reliable contraceptive options in Kalangala, which includes 64 habitable islands.

“Youth-friendly centers in some health facilities do not serve young people effectively because some are inactive while others have health workers who stigmatize young people,” she said.

“This situation limits access to essential services such as contraceptives, which has a significant impact on the health and well-being of young people,” she added.

Dr Michael Suuna, chief medical officer of IV Health Center in Kalangala, said the use of Panadol and milk as contraception is among the many myths circulating in the region regarding the prevention of unwanted pregnancies.

“It is not true that Panadol and milk can be used as a method of family planning. This is a misconception that we must combat and I advise all women and men who need family planning to go to accredited medical facilities that offer effective contraceptive methods that work and can prevent unplanned pregnancies. planned,” he said.

Dangers of excessive use of Panadol

Paracetamol can be dangerous if taken without the advice of medical personnel, according to Dr Suuna.

He explained: “What many people don’t know is that paracetamol does not cure any disease but simply relieves the feeling of pain. And it is dangerous to swallow more tablets than the recommended dose. This can damage the liver, which can lead to death.

The doctor reveals that Paracetamol is used during pregnancy but in moderate doses.

“If the mother takes paracetamol during pregnancy, she should ensure that the dose is as low as possible and this should be done for a short period of time,” he added.

Ms Jane Namukasa, Kalangala district health assistant in charge of maternal and child health services, acknowledged the challenges.

“Many young people feel discouraged from seeking effective contraceptives in our health facilities. So we chose to bring young advocates into our health centers, but our biggest challenge is finding ways to keep them motivated and engaged in their work with us,” she said.

“Our midwives play a vital role in reproductive health education, but there are very few of them in many health centers, which affects the quality of services we provide,” she added.

According to government policy, a health center II is supposed to have at least one registered midwife; a health center III (two midwives) and a health center IV must have at least three midwives.

Kalangala district, with a population of 70,589, has seven health centers II, seven health centers III and two health centers IV spread across nine of the 64 habitable islands.

Available statistics indicate that 66 percent of women and girls in Kalangala district need contraceptives, but 31 percent do not use any method. The contraceptive use rate in Kalangala currently stands at 23 percent.

Kalangala is one of the districts with the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the country.

However, the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate has fallen from 16 percent in recent years to 12.8 percent, a success attributed to the availability of drugs and continued awareness.