World Contraception Day

Statement by Michele Clarke MP – DA Spokesperson on Health:

Tomorrow, Saturday 26 September, is World Contraception Day, but the DA is concerned by reports of contraceptive stock-outs at a number of health facilities as the Department of Health prepares to transition to a new national supply contract on 1 October 2026.

Key contraceptives, including commonly used daily oral pills such as Triphasil and Nordette, are reportedly unavailable at a number of facilities. The DA confirmed these reports through oversight queries to public and private facilities.

The concern is not only whether stock is available on the Department’s systems, but whether women are actually able to access their chosen contraceptive when they need it.

For many women, contraception is essential to deciding if and when they want to have children, continue their education, build a career and make decisions about their own bodies.

The Department has regularly reassured the public that medicine supplies are stable and that mechanisms are in place to deal with shortages. These include moving stock between facilities and provinces, sourcing medicines from alternative suppliers and activating emergency measures when necessary.

If these systems are working as intended, women should not be arriving at health facilities only to be told that their prescribed contraceptive is unavailable.

The timing is particularly concerning, with the current national supply contract ending on 30 September and a new three-year agreement coming into effect on 1 October.

The DA will use parliamentary oversight to establish the true extent of the shortages, determine which contraceptive products and areas are affected, and establish whether adequate contingency measures are in place to ensure continuity of supply during the contract transition.

On World Contraception Day, access to contraception must mean more than contraception being available in principle. A person who needs contraceptive medication today should be able to access it at the facility they rely on.

Women should not have to spend money travelling from one clinic or pharmacy to another looking for their contraceptive.

Every woman should be able to access the contraceptive method she has chosen without having to wonder whether it will be on the shelf when she gets to the facility.