There has been an upsurge in the use of the Barbados Family Planning Association’s (BFPA) services.
Speaking to the DAILY NATION yesterday during the BFPA’s Male Open Day, executive director George Griffith revealed there had been a 17 per cent jump in the number of medical procedures carried out by the BFPA over the past year.
Griffith said the number of new clients rose by 19 per cent, while there was a five per cent increase in clients attending the BFPA’s clinics, which grew from 3 906 in 2012 to 4 094 last year.
The BFPA,?once regarded as an advocate for reproductive health services, along with general medical services and blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol checks, is providing treatment for abnormal cells detected during pap smears in women and three types of testing for prostate cancer in men.
Griffith explained that women could get a colposcopy and, depending on the results, cryosurgery to freeze abnormal cells all in one place. They could also receive emergency contraception or, as the law provided, termination of an unwanted pregnancy after counselling. Pregnant women could also be treated at the BFPA clinic until close to delivery when they go to the hospital of their choice.
In the case of men, Griffith said, they were given prostate screening using any of the three preferred methods that included blood tests or a physical examination.
He also disclosed that 47 345 procedures had been offered in 2013, up from the 44 244 in the previous year. (RB/AC)
