WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Much like Europe after World War II, political instability in war-torn countries, social and economic upheaval, religious constraints, and large refugee populations from Ukraine, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, and Somalia set public health initiatives like family planning significantly back or completely unavailable. Clinics close and doctors move on--despite such challenges, DKT International, one of the world’s largest providers of family planning, HIV/AIDS and safe abortion products and services, steps in to fill a growing unmet need as a critical provider of condoms and other contraception.
“Often, in times of conflict, the right or ability to access family planning is one of the first things women lose,” says Chris Purdy, CEO of DKT International. “It’s every woman’s right to choose when and if to have children, and envision a world where every child is wanted, which speaks directly to the goals of FP2030 to enable women and girls to have access to affordable modern contraceptives.”
In addition to access to condoms and other forms of contraception, The World Health Organization’s (WHO) new guidelines on abortion care aim at protecting the health of women and girls to help prevent over 25 million unsafe abortions that currently occur each year. “Being able to obtain safe abortion is a crucial part of health care,” said Craig Lissner, acting Director for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO. “Nearly every death and injury that results from unsafe abortion is entirely preventable. That’s why we recommend women and girls can access abortion and family planning services when they need them.”
DKT WomanCare, DKT International’s innovative production and distribution arm of sexual and reproductive health products, continues to ensure top-quality contraceptives and safe abortion products are more available, accessible, and affordable in over 90 countries around the world.
“The recent devastation in Ukraine and the inflation of goods and services we are experiencing around the world is extremely disconcerting, as the impact on developing countries is even more severe driving up the prices of necessities. We have already seen the cost of transport and petrol increase and expect this disruption to impact critical access to sexual and reproductive health products around the world,” said Jacques-Antoine Martin, Managing Director of DKT WomanCare.
“DKT WomanCare will continue to create structural, long-term solutions to systemic challenges, like product financing and donor dependency, by engaging in innovative partnerships and distribution models to put downward pressure on pricing,” adds Purdy.
DKT has plans to expand to other markets in the region and is laying the groundwork to respond to a range of challenges facing women of reproductive age in markets like Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. For example, the Jordan office will initially provide IUDs, condoms, and MVA abortion kits.
“Supporting women in choosing a better future for themselves, especially in places where there are social and political conflicts, is what drives our mission,” adds Purdy. “And we will continue to ensure access to family planning triumphs even amidst differences in culture, economics, politics, gender, and religion.”
About DKT International:
Since 1989, DKT International’s core mission has been to provide safe and affordable options for family planning and HIV prevention through social marketing in 90 underserved countries throughout Latin America, Africa, and Asia. In 2021, DKT generated 54.2 million Couple Years of Protection (CYPs) through the sale of more than 901 million condoms, 111 million cycles of oral contraceptives, 20 million emergency contraceptives, 19 million injectables, 1.9 million implants, 4.7 million IUDs, 5 million medical abortion (MA) combipacks, and 300,000 manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) kits.
