‘Older persons sidelined in reproductive health services’
Ms Irene Ndagire educating women in Najjanankumbi on how to live healthy on January 7, 2021. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
The study highlights a glaring gap in service provision, showing that older individuals are often neglected and denied access to critical reproductive health services tailored to their unique needs
A new study has revealed that a significant number of older adults remain sidelined in the country’s sexual and reproductive health programmes.
The study conducted by the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) highlights a glaring gap in service provision, showing that older individuals are often neglected and denied access to critical reproductive health services tailored to their unique needs.
The report, which examined sexual reproductive health (SRH) services across Uganda, found that older adults particularly those out of the reproductive age (49 years and above), are routinely excluded from health initiatives that focus predominantly on younger populations and women of childbearing age, placing them at risk for sexual and reproductive health issues, including menopause-related disorders, sexually transmitted infections, and general sexual well-being.
It further highlights a growing concern over reproductive cancers such as cervical cancer, stressing the need for data on patient demographics and critical access to care-seeking behaviours, leaving many vulnerable to these as they are often under-reported and undiagnosed in this demographic.
The 2024 Uganda Bureau Of Statistics (UBOS) report shows that five percent of the total population (approximately 2.3 million) are aged 60 and above, of this approximately 1.17 million are women.
However, the reproductive age is generally considered to end at 49, meaning the population of women beyond the reproductive age is slightly larger, highlighting the growing significance of older women in Uganda's demographic landscape.
Ms Betty Kyaddondo, a senior medical doctor and head of the Family Health Development at the Population Secretariat, highlighted the persistent failure to address reproductive concerns of older females which has elevated stigmatisation and long-term effects of sexual-related disorders.
"Menopause and other reproductive disorders have been neglected because most of whatever is happening in their bodies is because of the hormonal changes, then they will be able to not be ashamed about what is going on, not to feel stigmatised, but to look out for services," Ms Kyaddondo says.
She adds," Some of these women are still productive and find themselves getting pregnant, which necessitates them to still access family planning services. We are also seeing increasingly our life expectancy is growing, so there is no way we are going to ignore some of these important aspects about the people who have served this nation, and we are not serving them back”.
Ms Kyaddondo further advocates that the Ministry of Health and all stakeholders should ensure increased investment and integration of such issues into policies and programmes so that the elderly men and women who are experiencing can get help.
Ms Kyaddondo says, “It is so bad being ignorant about your body and we should go out to the communities, conduct outreaches, sensitising communities, and ensure that these older persons appreciate their post-reproductive changes.”
She further notes that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), issues should not only centralise on women but also men, as they contribute to a big percentage of sexually transmitted infections, diseases and other health burdens of women.
Other key findings in the SRHR challenges for women established by the study further noted continued conservative gender norms that restrict access to SRH services, contributing to adverse maternal health outcomes, low uptake of family planning, and poor health among vulnerable groups.
A 2017 World Health Organisation study estimated that in 2016, about 16 percent of people aged 60 years and older had been subjected to some form of abuse including sexual abuse, typically committed by people in a position of trust including healthcare providers and family members.
Moreover, even when data on the adequacy of service provision needs to be explored, it is not easy to find data on SRHR of older populations, as they are not systematically collected.
Addressing women’s health needs
However, Dr Richard Mugahi, the assistant commissioner in-charge of reproductive and infant health at the Ministry of Health, insists that older women's health needs are addressed within other broader departments.
He adds: "As women age, disorders like joint pains can be indicators of menopause or maybe develop conditions like diabetes, but those are managed by other departments. This should be a concern for younger women to take these programmes seriously to safeguard and be sure of less negative impacts during the later age."
Mr Izugbara Chima, the leader of this study at ICRW and the director of Global health, youth, and development research appeals to the government to support locally driven research agendas that involve many stakeholders affected and respond to pressing needs.
