See related articles by Nieto-Andrade et al. and by Harrison.
We welcome the opportunity to respond to Harrison's Letter to the Editor regarding our GHSP article “Women's Limited Choice and Availability of Modern Contraception at Retail Outlets and Public-Sector Facilities in Luanda, Angola, 2012–2015.” There is little recent market data available for Angola, and this article was an effort to share what we had learned about product availability in retail outlets and public-sector facilities in Luanda. We welcome debate and hope that the gaps identified in the market will inspire others to act.
Harrison makes 3 main points in her Letter to the Editor, and here we respond to each in turn.
ANGOLA'S ECONOMIC CRISIS
We agree with Harrison that the economic crisis, inflation, and shortage of foreign exchange are contributing factors affecting supply and availability, a point that our original article discusses as well. As supply constricts, increase in price is a common outcome.
MEASURING MARKET COMPETITIVENESS
Harrison questions our statement that there is limited choice and availability of contraceptives in Angola. Instead, she seems to suggest that contraceptive prevalence drives the current availability of modern contraceptive methods and that this relationship is unidirectional. We contend that the relationship between the modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) and availability of contraceptive methods is circular. We believe one of the main reasons mCPR is low in Angola is because contraceptive products and services are not easily …