A popular Chinese contraceptive pill in Zambia is having people talking about its efficacy and safety, because the language of instruction is in Chinese.
Ministry of Health permanent secretary Kennedy Malama told state-owned Zambia Daily Mail that it was worrying that women were taking the pill as they did not know the ingredients.
He urged women taking the Chinese contraceptive pill to stop immediately.
And the Zambia Medical Regulatory Authority says any medicine consumed in Zambia should have an English label.
Though the pill, which is referred to as “Chinese contraceptiveâ€, is believed to have been imported for Chinese women in Zambia, it is popular in the country as it costs between $3 to $5 and is only taken once a month.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia president Jerome Kanyika said in a statement shared with the BBC:
Our quick and preliminary investigations have reviewed that while members of the public have a view that the preparation is herbal and free from side effects… this medicine is in fact not herbal but has a high dose of combined hormonal contraceptives.”
It’s also important to note that hormonal contraceptives are prescription only medicines and therefore, we urge our mothers and women of child bearing age… to undergo health screening and to be given a wider choice of family planning options legally available in Zambia.â€
BBC