Population stabilisation

these are key points picked from health ministers speech @ world populations tabilisation day conference 2011 at tianjin , China  held on 11th july 2011

1.       Population stabilisation

·         rate at which the population of the entire world is multiplying, poses several challenges on the economic, environmental and development fronts.

·         India launched world’s first national program emphasizing family planning for reducing birth rates in 1952.

·         Now the program has been repositioned to not only achieve population stabilization but also to promote reproductive health and reduce maternal mortality, infant & child mortality and morbidity.

·         National Population Policy in 2000.

o   reducing the unmet needs for family planning,

o    improvement of health care infrastructure,

o   achieving the replacement level fertility rate of 2.1 by the year 2010

o   attain Population Stabilization by the year 2045.

·         Total Fertility Rate is currently at 2.6 (in 2009), a 42% decline from mid-1960s.

·         14 States and Union Territories out of 35 have already achieved the replacement fertility level of 2.1.

·         The measures that have contributed to the lowering of fertility rate include:-

Improving literacy levels,
Empowerment of women,
Discouraging adolescent marriages,
Delaying first child birth,
Enhancement in the compensation package for sterilisation,
Introducing a national family planning insurance scheme,
Encouraging male participation in sterilisation,
Involving village level community health workers, in promoting family planning

New initiatives

·         fixed day family planning services at health facilities and easier access to contraceptives

·         contraceptives shall be delivered door to door by the community health workers in high focus areas.

Legal framework

·         health is primarily responsibility of the provincial governments.

Progress

·         institutional deliveries increase from 47% to 72%.

·         MMR from 254 in 2004-06 to 212 in 2007-09

 IMR from 58 in 2005 to 50 in 2009.