Editorial Books Music & Art Travel Profile Humour Women & Society Column Reflections Health Poetry Prev Issue Next Issue

Recently Mitchell Warren, Director of International Affairs, The Female Health Company UK was here with me in Ahmedabad to deliver a plenary address at 5th National Convention of Indian Netowrk of NGOs on female condoms. I was the Key Correspondent to this conference for UNAIDS. I am attaching a report on female condoms, and their usage in India too.

The session began with the Session Chairperson Carol Squire, Managing Director of PSI India Country Office, congratulating the INN organizers for introducing Indian NGOs with two new concepts and incidently, both are women controlled. Earlier Megan Gottemoeller spoke on microbicides, and the next day, Mitchell Warren, from The Female Health Company in UK, introduced female condoms to the participants.

Just like Megan asked "How many have heard of microbicides" and only 3 hands went up (fourth hand was mine), today Mitchell began with "how many have seen female condoms" and 17 hands went up. "How many have used female condoms" and 2 hands went up.

Clearly female condoms, now being produced in India too my MedTech Private Limited Chennai, are slowly gaining grounds.

The female condom is manufactured by The Female Health Company which is perhaps the largest manufacturer of these products in world. Presently these are marketed in over 50 countries, most of them as poor or poorer than India and many of them at least as conservative or even more. The female condom certainly provides excellent protection and studies show that it is roughly equivalent to a male condom in its effectiveness, said Mitchell Warren.

Female Condom prevents both : PREGNANCY and INFECTION. Female condoms provide a good protection from all infections including Sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS and also protects the external genitilia from infections.

Female condoms are safe and reversible, so that if you STOP using it, your chances of becoming pregnant are not tampered at all (just like male condoms).

Mitchell said that female condoms are not systemic in action : That is, should not interfere with the natural system of a woman's body.

Another striking feature of female condoms is that these are available freely and do not require any doctor to put it in, medical prescription is not required to get one, rather are freely available over the counter.

And the most significant social aspect of female condoms, and microbicides for that matter is that they are women controlled. THE CHOICE TO PROTECT HERSELF FROM STD/HIV/AIDS or unwanted pregnancies, MUST STAY WITH WOMEN. In male condoms era, women were asked to provide and ensure male condoms on their partners, which is totally erratic and bizzare idea and that is why it failed, said Mitchell. Because whether a man puts on a male condom or not is not under the control of women at all. Man can and has been forcing himself on women for ages. Therefore THE CHOICE MUST STAY WITH HER - this is a potent solution, which brings out the NEED of female condoms more strongly.

A group of commercial sex workers had come all the way from East India. These CSW group called DURBAR MAHILA SAMITI, was provided with several samples of female condoms by Mitchell Warren who demonstrated the correct method to use them. Ms.Jaya Pal, a sex worker in Calcutta, promised to get back to Dr.Radium Bhattacharya, President of INN (Indian Network of NGOs) and tell her about the experiences with female condoms.

Mitchell Warren quoted a study that in Zimbabwe, 17 percent of female condom users said their men never used male condoms. Similarly in Thailand, 25% reduction in unprotected sex acts and 34% reduction in STD cases was noted in CSWs after the introduction of female condoms. In USA, the percentage of protected sex acts went up to 66% from 21% within a span of six months once female condoms were also made available. Mitchell stressed upon the need for giving an option to women in particular and said that although nearly 20 years have passed when HIV infection was identified first, still only 1 product to provide protection from HIV has come in the market (rest are undergoing trials). Moreover introducing a new product like female condoms also provide us a chance for a dialogue with commercial sex workers, and general population alike, addressing issues that are usually 'avoided'.

Medtech Products Private Limited, an Indian pharmaceutical company is manufacturing male and female condoms both in Chennai, India. Their company Director Mr.Ram Kumar said that they have got approval from Drug Controller of India and their products have been approved by the concerned ministries too.

Female condoms manufactured in India are also quite competitive in prices with each piece priced at 20 cents (US$) where as those manufactured by The Female Health Company in UK were initially priced at 1-2 US$ which later came down to 35 cents. Nevertheless manufacture of female condoms in a conservative and developing country like India is undoubtledly a great beginning and may open up new vistas for those working on reproductive health issues.

Exerpts from rendezvous with MITCHELL WARREN.

BR : Is there any NGO in India working on female condoms ?

MW : Yes, MR.Sethna Thandapani, working in an organization called TRUE in Trichy (South Indian state of Tamil Nadu) did presented a paper on "Introducing female condoms in India" at recently concluded Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive Health, Manila, Philippines and will also be presenting on female condoms in the forthcoming Sex Workers Millennium Mela being organized by Ms.Putul Singh, Durbar Mahila Samiti in Calcutta in first week of march. It is already being manufactured in India, Government approvals have been sought too, other NGOs are also showing lot of interest for women-controlled methods like female condoms, so the work is in process, nevertheless has to go a very long way before something substantial can be done.

BR : How many female condoms are being produced in a year?

MW : Presently we are manufacturing about 8-10 million female condoms for the whole world every year. But as demand goes up, prices will come down positively.

View and Post comment on this article