The last batch of condoms destined for the trade and for Artemisa’s medical offices was received two years ago. Since then, he recognizes in the local press the Directorate of Pharmacies and Optics of the province, the supply has been limited only to the informal market, where Cubans can get the product at prohibitive prices.
Sarah Varona Monzón, spokeswoman for the Directorate, confirmed to the newspaper that since the first quarter of 2021 they have not received a single package of condoms, unlike contraceptive tablets, which do arrive at the clinics and are delivered every 15 days by municipalities.
“Before, when condoms entered, they were distributed equally among all the pharmacy units. That would be the same strategy if they arrived again,” laments the official.
In his note, titled Condoms in Cuba: take care of yourself or not take care of yourself, that is the problem, El Artemiseño recognizes the failure in the supply of contraceptive methods and how the informal market has ended up becoming the only alternative to obtain drugs and thus avoid both sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancies.
The cycle of contraceptive injections for a year usually costs 3,600 pesos, while each condom costs between 35 and 50 pesos
The cycle of contraceptive injections for a year usually costs 3,600 pesos, while each condom costs between 35 and 50 pesos “Although they are more expensive, it is worth paying for them,” admits Mario Rodríguez, a 24-year-old interviewed by the newspaper.
According to the newspaper, only the international pharmacy in Mariel, in Artemisa, has condoms at 2.40 in MLC (freely convertible currency) for a box of three units, equivalent to 288 pesos in national currency at the official exchange rate or about 440 pesos in the informal currency market. Cubans “have no choice but to succumb to Facebook and WhatsApp groups that, these days, supply so many needs of daily life,” he adds.
But not all Cubans can afford to pay the exorbitant prices of the informal market and, the newspaper acknowledges, the data on sexual diseases are not “good.” A report from the Artemisa Public Health Directorate revealed that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has grown significantly since its inception in 1986. There was only a decrease in diagnoses in 2022 compared to the previous year, attributable to the search for cases focused on the municipalities of Guanajay, Güira de Melena and Candelaria.
Young people between the ages of 20 and 24 are the “most affected” and represent 28.3% of all diagnosed patients. Then there is the group from 25 to 29 years old, with 15.1%. The same percentage represents the confirmed cases of Cubans between 30 and 34 years of age. “The male sex continues to predominate in the epidemic, especially men who have sex with men (MSM). Although there are also cases of the female sex,” he cites The Artemisian.
The most contagious diseases are syphilis and gonorrhea. The report indicates that syphilis increased in all the municipalities of the province, although the highest incidence was registered in the municipalities of Bahía Honda, San Cristóbal, Bauta and Artemisa. In this case, the clinical pictures predominate among young people between 19 and 24 years of age.
For its part, the rate of gonorrhea infections –also known as gonorrhea– is 46.1 per 100,000 inhabitants. As with syphilis, the age groups with the most confirmed diagnoses are young people between the ages of 19 and 24. In this case, the municipalities with the highest infections are Artemisa, Güira de Melena, Bahía Honda and San Cristóbal.
“We are clear: we only give a sample because our mission is to educate in the use of protected sex. Everything would be easier if there were in the pharmacy”
Contraceptive methods have become popular among the products that Cubans residing abroad bring on their visits to the Island. The morning after pill and intrauterine devices often arrive with travelers, for their families or for resale. A single one of these pills costs between 700 and 900 pesos in the informal trade.
Cuba also receives donations, but Lester Rojas Lay, provincial coordinator of the MSM Network, affirms that they are not enough for the needs of the population. They recently received a shipment of condoms aimed at the gay population from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
“We are clear: we only give a sample because our mission is to educate in the use of protected sex. Everything would be easier if there was a pharmacy,” said the coordinator, who explained that they only deliver 21 condoms and 10 lubricants a year.
the artemiseño adds that the “misfortune” of the shortage of condoms goes beyond diseases, since it is also the most effective method of preventing pregnancies. Similarly, he points out that Artemisa has very young pregnancy rates: 31% of women between 20 and 24 years of age, followed by 16.6% of young people between 15 and 19 years of age.
Finally, the newspaper doubts whether the high pregnancy rate should be attributed solely to the lack of condoms, since there is also a great “ignorance and unconsciousness of the act at such an early age” among the people of Artemisa.
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