The National Aids Council (NAC) has procured a condom dispenser that will be placed at Midlands State University (MSU) to increase accessibility of condoms by students, amid a sharp increase in the uptake of the barrier device.

In interview on the sidelines of a health expo, NAC Gweru district Aids coordinator Mr Murari Hwingwiri told The Herald: “What we have realised is that some of the students are not comfortable with getting condoms from clinics or buying them from shops, so this self-service facility will also increase the condom uptake among those that are sexually active.”

A snap survey by The Herald in Senga and Nehosho high-density suburbs of Gweru, where most of the MSU students reside, showed that all shops, beerhalls, bottle stores, tuckshops and kiosks were out of condoms. Mr Hwingwiri said the scarcity of condoms in Senga and Nehosho high-density suburbs showed that students were practising safe sex, which in turn reduces the rate of new incidences.