3 days ago
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Belize’s Director of Public Health, Dr. Melissa Musa Diaz, has responded to public concerns following the latest enforcement of contraceptives. The issue has sparked significant debate in the court of public opinion, with many Belizeans questioning whether access to contraceptives is being restricted under the updated enforcement measures. During today’s press brief, Dr. Musa Diaz, noted that the matter is not about limiting women’s access to birth control nor infringement of rights. She noted, as a matter of fact, that emergency contraceptives, including the morning-after pill, remain available over the counter and have not been affected by the enforcement.
Dr. Melissa Diaz Musa, Director of Health and Wellness: “You can walk into any pharmacy and purchase your emergency contraceptive. Over the recent weeks, everybody’s in an uproar. They want to walk into a pharmacy and buy the contraceptive that they want, because perhaps a friend told them that works for them, or their mother might have been on a contraceptive, but how do you really know? And I don’t want to lament or to discuss in great detail about side effects of contraceptives. It’s more than just a paper or a prescription. It’s about what’s best suited for you. Because a side effect could be, for example, heavy bleeding when you start your contraceptive, bleeding for about six months if you’re uncertain progesterone contraceptives. You cannot see a period for a year if you’re uncertain contraceptives. Contraceptives might be different in terms of some women explain to me that they have, they feel severe anxiety, they feel depressed on certain contraceptives and once we change it to another one that feeling has changed. So what worked for your friend does not necessarily mean it will for you. And when you think about a 25 year old who’s had a baby, walks into a pharmacist and asks for a combined pill but she’s breastfeeding. That is not the pill for her. The combined pill passes the membrane and can go into the breast milk. So she should not be taking a combined pill. So it’s not about severe life-threatening complications but it’s about a woman choosing with the advice and in a patient-centered discussion what’s the best medication for you.”
Dr Musa-Diaz added that what the ministry is emphasizing with this enforcement is the need to reduce self-diagnosis and self-prescribing when it comes to contraceptives. She explained that the broader goal of the policy is to ensure that individuals receive proper medical guidance before selecting certain contraceptive methods, noting that there are multiple health factors that must be taken into consideration. In a second point, she highlighted that different contraceptives can produce varying side effects and may not be suitable for everyone. She added that there are also specific considerations depending on the individual, whether someone is breastfeeding, or managing conditions like PCOS.
Dr. Melissa Diaz Musa, Director of Health and Wellness:“Because sexual and reproductive health is not only about a prescription, it’s about your mental health, your breast health, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, the health of your uterus, and the health of your cervix. When it comes to refills, I think as I mentioned before and I want to mention it again, the refills can be given by your doctor. Your nurses sometimes they have it there in the office that they would give you three months of the contraceptives that you’re on, providing that you’re well, all your concerns have been addressed and you don’t have any issues with the contraceptive that you’re on. So it’s important to stress you do not have to go to your doctor every month to get your prescription.”
Very notable from this morning’s press conference was that the ministry has conceded failure in public consultations and proper education of the plans of enforcement.
English (US) ·