AFRICA REPORT: The Healing Needles

Chinese traditional medical practice of acupuncture brings relief to patients in Zambia

- Derrick Silimina

Infertility can be stressful and frustrating for couples the world over; but in Zambia, there is also stigma attached to barrenness.

After trying for almost two years, Tamara Chiponge had given up hope that one day she would be able to bear a child of her own.

On the verge of reaching menopause, Chiponge became desperate for a child as she could no longer withstand the intense social stigma and pressure, especially coming from her close companions and family members.

“I used to put on a false smile to the public, but inside, I was hurting. I took care of other people’s children [and it got to a] point where my mother-in-law forced me to adopt a two-year-old child,” she told ChinAfrica.

Infertility on the rise

Zambia’s Health and Nutrition Communication and Advocacy Strategic Plan (2018-21) highlights that gauging from the prevalence of sexually transmission infections alone, it is estimated that both primary and secondary infertility rates in the country are of concern. Gynaecologists say infertility is actually a major public health concern because it affects one’s mental well-being, disrupts social bonding, lowers economic productivity and erodes self-confidence.

It is for this reason that Zambia’s Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya recently said the situation calls for great investment in comprehensive reproductive health, including fertility services.

“Infertility accounts for 10 to 15 percent of outpatient gynaecology clinic attendance in Zambia, yet access to fertility services is seriously limited due to the high cost of services,” said Chilufya.