World Population Day | Majority of family planning measures and operations conducted on women
Pune: The decision about the ideal family size may be a collective decision but the responsibility of executing it remains with the woman. From undergoing tubectomies to getting Copper T’s fitted or using oral contraception pills, the statistics available with the Family Welfare Bureau (FWB) of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) revealed that the scene hasn’t changed and that women have the onus of birth control operations and procedures as compared to fewer men who take up the responsibility.
Data between April to June 2014 show that of 3,635 permanent sterilizations —3,598 were tubectomies —a surgical procedure for permanent contraception for women against 37 men who agreed to get sterilised. Between April 2013 to March 2014, 12,970 women got sterilised against 220 men.
This, despite the fact, that while sterilisation for women is an irreversible procedure and needs surgery while for men, there are non-surgical and reversible surgery options available.
“In the last three months, PMC has covered 23.86 per cent of the target sterilizations of couples with one and more children, in which majority of the women got operated,” said Dr Anjali Sabne, deputy health officer of the PMC.
Health officials say that from myths about such procedures affecting virility to failure of procedure and even gender roles, there are various reasons why men refused to come under the scalpel and push the onus on women. To reduce the fear around such surgeries, a non scalpel method was also started—a procedure that takes barely 15 minutes—but yet men refuse to take the bait. “To increase vasectomy surgeries this year we have started non scalpel vasectomy (NSV) camps in three PMC hospitals. Between April to June this year, we have performed 37 vasectomy surgeries, 6.5 per cent of the set target of 566 which is not very encouraging,” added Sabne.
Though there are temporary contraceptive methods like intrauterine device and oral pills, sterilisation continues to be the mainstay of family planning programmes. She also said,
“A total of 13,190 tubectomies and vasectomies have been conducted in the year 2013-2014, which was 87 per cent of the 15,100 target.”
An encouraging trend is that couples no more take sterilisation as a last resort but a matter of choice. FWB officials say the trend is visible from families with one kid undergoing family planning operations have increased. FWB officials will be felicitating over 100 couples who stopped at “Hum do Humara Ek” to celebrate World Population Day on Thursday.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}