Rickshaw puller Hamidul was returning empty-hand from a pharmacy of Mogbaazar in Dhaka. He came to the pharmacy to buy a packet of oral pill for his wife as a contraceptive. But the price of the pill is not reasonable to him. Asked about his empty-hand return, Hamidul said, “price of this pill was Tk 8 to Tk 10 per packet two or three months back. I earn only Tk 170 per day. I have to pay Tk 80 from my income to the owner of the rickshaw. I need to buy some rice, pulses, fishes and vegetable for my family. I also need to save an amount to pay monthly rent for the house I reside in. So, I cannot waste Tk 16 for contraceptive.”

Hamidul is satisfied with his two sons and a daughter and doesn’t want more. He knows the risk of leaving with his wife without having any measure for contraception. Now the couple is following the path of natural method of birth control in sacrifice of their carnal pleasure. “I know, but I can’t afford to purchase the pill,” he said adding, “We are cautiously maintaining the routine (of my wife’s menstruation) and everything rests on Allah.”

Salesman of the pharmacy Imam Hussein informed that it was not a new experience to him. Everyday four or five people go back from the pharmacy like Hamidul, who has no ability to purchase contraceptives. Most of them are low income people like rickshaw pullers, construction labours or garments workers.

It is now a common scenario across Bangladesh. Contraceptives are beyond the reach of low-income groups. Government measures for free-distribution of contraceptives among people are less than sufficient. So the people are rushing towards shops where the shopkeepers are charging higher prices to be afforded.

Joint efforts of the Government and the private sector during the last three decades contributed significantly in building awareness among people about birth control. Now use of condom and oral pills, as modern methods of contraception, is popular in Bangladesh. But prices of contraceptives went up in recent years and the poor cannot afford those. It has become a burden for the middle income group also. According to experts, the present prices and supply situation of the contraceptives is a bar on the ongoing family planning programme of the country.

Halida Hanum Akhter, Director General of Family Planning Association of Bangladesh (FPAB) said the overall situation is Vulnerable. High price and shortage in supply acts as disincentives in using contraceptives. It will increase birth rate and total population.

Less supply than demand is the main reason behind price hike of contraceptive, it is observed. Import of condom and oral pill by the government has been remaining suspended for one and a half year due to bureaucratic triangle, also disrupting its free-distribution.

Government services are not available in the city area. In collecting condom and pills, users depend on the private-based commercial supply chain. But private sector has no capacity to fulfil the total demand. As a result, prices of all brands of oral pill increased by Tk 2 to Tk 10 per cycle. Prices of condom are also going up day by day.

Salesmen informed that, price of FEMICON, the cheapest brand of oral pill of Social Marketing Company (SMC) was Tk8 per cycle one year ago. But at present the rate, fixed by SMC, is Tk 12. However, the item is not available at the company rate. Retailers sell per cycle of FEMICON aganist Tk 16. In the same way, price of MINICON pill increased to Tk 16 from Tk 8, NORDET-28 increased to Tk 25 from Tk 15, OVSTATE to Tk 35 from Tk 30 and MERVELON to Tk 70 from Tk 55.

Statistics show, price of the cheapest brand of condom RAJA of SMC, the supplier of maximum contraceptives in Bangladesh, increased by 1995 per cent (20 times) during last 35 years. In 1976, price of RAJA condom was Tk 0.13 per piece. In 1985, it was sold at Tk 0.25. At present per piece of HERO, a new brand of SMC, is selling at Tk 2.66 per piece. Prices of per packet (3 pieces) PANTHER is Tk 10, SENSATION Tk 12 and U & ME Tk 20.

Per cycle of the cheapest brand oral pill MAYA was sold at Tk 0.70 in 1975. In 1990 its price was taka 1. In 1995, SMC stopped marketing MAYA. Price of the same quality oral pill NORDET-28 is Tk 16 per cycle at present.

According to Statistics collected from various sources, prices of contraceptives increased by meagre 10 per cent during 1976 to 1990 without any visible negative effect in retail market. But in 1990, SMC increased the prices of its five brands of contraceptives by 60 per cent. Consequently, sell of those items declined sharply. As a result SMC was bound to decrease the prices. Since then, the company became technical to increase prices. Without going for wildcat price hike for all of its brands together, the company raises price of one after another.

According to Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) SMC has done a major contribution to the National Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR). The total CPR of the country is 58 percent of which 47 percent are modern methods. SMC contributed 40 percent CPR by pills and 66 percent CPR by condoms. Three out of every ten modern contraceptive users are now using SMC’s contraceptives. So price hike of SMC’s condom and pill causes decline birth control.

If a couple thinks to use contraceptives, it would need at least Tk 40 (US$ 0.60). It means nothing to a rich. But a person who earns Tk 1200 (US $17) to Tk 1800 (US$ 25) per month, the amount becomes a burden on him or her. S/he starts to calculate whether to prioritise in managing his basic needs like food, house rent, cloths etc or to go for having contraceptives with Tk 40. In Bangladesh, 40 percent of the population is living under poverty line.

According to a research of ICDDRB, two-fifths of all pill users collect it from commercial sources, such as pharmacies and shops. About 36 percent of the slum dwellers and 45 percent of the non-slum dwellers buy pills from pharmacies and shops. Two of every five condom users obtained the method from the same sources.

Bangladesh is an evolving success story in family planning. Use of modern contraceptive methods has grown steadily from 14 percent in 1983 to 59 percent in 2006. But if shortage of contraceptives and high price continue, it will discourage the users resultantly damaging the population control program of government.

While talking to this reporter Director General of the Directorate of Family Planning admitted the problem. He said if prices of contraceptives go beyond the reach of the poor, it will seriously hamper the population control scheme of the nation.