The department of health is planning to create a brand for the millions of free condoms its distributes annually, to counter perceptions they are inferior to their commercially packaged equivalents.
The department’s chief director for HIV/Aids, Dr Nono Simelela, told Parliament’s health portfolio committee on Tuesday that the new name — Choice — would be accompanied by new-look packaging.
At present government condoms are distributed in a silver-coloured foil wrapper bearing the red Aids ribbon. The name, which would be registered as a trademark, linked in with the department’s existing ”It’s our choice, it’s our future” HIV awareness campaign.
The department had no intention of branching out into coloured or flavoured condoms, as these affected the integrity of the latex.
Simelela said the department intended to hand out some 400-million male condoms in the coming financial year, and 1,8-million female condoms. – Sapa