Sunday, Jan 12, 2003
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Karnataka-Bangalore
By Sahana Charan
The federation proposes to launch an emergency contraception helpline in major cities in the country for the benefit of young couples and to prevent unwanted pregnancies, Sadhana Desai, the newly elected President of FOGSI, has said. The 24-hour helpline will be launched in a couple of months to give couples valid information on emergency contraception and to direct them to counselling centres. The helpline will be launched in all major cities, including Bangalore, in collaboration with Reliance Infocomm, Dr. Desai told The Hindu. Dr. Desai, infertility consultant and Professor and Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bombay Hospital Institute of Medical Sciences, was in the City to attend the 46th all-India congress of obstetrics and gynaecology. ``Around 95 per cent of unwanted pregnancies can be prevented by using proper contraceptive methods. Giving the youth latest information on contraception and emergency contraception as well as AIDS prevention methods will go a long way in improving the health of Indian women and help population stabilisation,'' she said. An obstetrician would man the helpline during working hours and at other times, a recorded message would tell the callers what steps to take or whom to contact. Couples did not have to rush to a private clinic or government hospital to inquire about emergency contraception. Most people were not aware that it could be used within 72 hours and there was no need to panic. "Emergency contraception is not available over the counter; so it will not be misused. The helpline will direct callers to seek counselling with particular doctors or consultants,'' she added. FOGSI would initiate youth awareness programmes all over the country on topics such as adolescent health, unsafe abortions, and contraception with the help of its 17,000 members. "We want to focus on the reproductive rights of women and population stabilisation through women's empowerment. Our obstetricians and gynaecologists will create awareness about birth spacing and newer methods of birth control,'' she said. As part of the adolescent health awareness programme in the City, the Bangalore Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BSOG) will conduct such programmes in schools shortly. Each member of BSOG will adopt a school to initiate the programme, according to Kamini Rao, member of the society and infertility consultant. A library of international journals is also on the anvil. FOGSI will make available a few reputable international journals on the Net through its website to FOGSI members at a nominal subscription. "Doctors in remote areas do not have access to these journals, but they have to update themselves with the latest information on the subject. The library will serve this purpose,'' she said. ``The Government should set up more in vitro fertilisation (IVF) centres, so that infertile couples in remote areas can benefit from IVF programmes. Now, they have to come to the big cities for this purpose. Some of the ICMR guidelines will prevent IVF clinics to come up in smaller cities, as the obstetrician needs to be accredited to start an IVF centre. So those from remote areas will be deprived of the technology. Such guidelines need to be modified to suit Indian conditions," she said.
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