RANGPUR, – Growing awareness among able couples has made them more aware of birth control bringing down the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to only 1.9 in the district against 2.3 at the national level.
The success was achieved following implementation of programmes like providing education on family planning issues to able couples to make them
aware of containing population growth to attain sustainable development goals.
Talking to BSS, Deputy Director of the District Department of Family Planning (DFP) Dr. Sheikh Md. Saidul Islam said able couples have now become
more aware of adopting various methods for birth control.
“As a result of increasing adoption of birth control methods following massive awareness raising publicities, the rate of menstrual regularization
has reduced to almost zero level in the district,” he said.
Currently, the Contraceptive Acceptance Rate (CAR) stands at 79 percent and Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) at 70 percent in the district against the national level figures of around 78 percent and 62.4 percent respectively,” Islam said.
Talking to BSS, able couples of Chandanpat union in Sadar upazila narrated as how they became inspired to adopt various methods of family planning.
Housewives Shabana Begum, Sabina Yasmin, Manjuara and Nadira Pervin of Dangirpar village in the union said the family welfare assistants in-charge of the village regularly inspire them toward the direction.
Motaleb Mian of the village said the Family Welfare Visitor (FWV) at Chandanpat Union Health and Family Welfare Center (UHFWC) makes able couples aware of adoption of various birth control methods.
“The able couples collect inputs for family planning methods from the UHFWC or sometimes, they buy necessary materials from local markets for birth control,” Motaleb said.
Family Welfare Assistant (FWA) at Chandanpat UHFWC Kalpona Mukherjee said there are over 1,200 able couples in three wards under her working area in the union.
“It takes two months for me to give a round to the house of every able couple,” Kalpona said adding that injection and pill methods are more popular
among able couples.
Talking to BSS, Ratna Rani Das, FWV at Chandanpat UHFWC, said only two to five mothers came to the center every month to have an abortion even ten years back.
“Gradually, it dropped to the zero level now,” she said adding that it happened because of growing awareness among able couples.
Female member of reserved wards (7, 8 and 9) of Chandanpat union Rasheda Begum said everyone, including women and men of each family, is now much aware of importance of family planning and birth control.
“I am happy with the attained success in birth control following increasing rate of the CAR and CPR in her wards as a result of swelling adoption of
family planning methods,” she said.
At the same time, awareness about family planning is increasing among elder members in every family in addition to able couples.
The family members are consulting among them on adoption of family planning methods, hygienic sanitation during menstrual periods of young girls
and adolescents and take necessary decisions even in absence of DFP staffs.
Chandanpat Union Chairman Amenur Rahman said family planning methods are becoming popular among able couples following motivational activities beingconducted by the DFP in the union as elsewhere in the district.
According to officials at District DFP, there are 77 UHFWCs in 77 unions of eight upazilas in the district to provide family planning services to
6.43-lakh able couples.
Only 305 FWAs are now working at these UHFWCs against 466 approved posts, 36 Assistant Community Medical Officers against 45 approved posts, 65 FWVs against 77 approved posts and 25 Pharmacists against 67 approved posts.
Admitting manpower crisis, Deputy Director of the DFP Dr. Islam said the information was sent to higher authorities for filling vacant posts to bring
more dynamism to family planning activities.
