February, March ideal for family planning; camps on the anvil

The Department of Family Welfare has declared February and March for carrying out intensive awareness programmes on family planning in the district.

The major objective of this campaign was to increase the male participation in family planning activities through specialised information, education and communication (IEC) camps.

C. Mathialagan, District Extension Educator, Department of Family Welfare, told

The Hindu on Wednesday that besides the regular awareness programmes at various health centres, a total of 46 special camps would be held in these two months with a target of covering between 800 and 1,000 people.

Besides six non-scalpel vasectomy camps for men, 20 laparoscopic sterilisation camps and an equal number of puerperal sterilisation camps for women would be held. The number of camps in each category would be divided equally between the two months.

Regular awareness programmes on family planning and sterilisation were also underway at all the primary health centres (PHCs) and government health institutions.

“Male participation has been steadily rising in these regions. These camps will help to motivate these sections and encourage families with two or more children to undertake family planning,” he added.

The camps were being held with support from the Departments of Public Health, Medical Education and Medical Services.

V. Pangajam, Deputy Director, Department of Family Welfare, said informed that all the PHCs in Coimbatore district have been instructed to maintain and update the ‘higher order of births’ registers to gather data on the number of mothers with two or more children. These mothers would be targeted for awareness programmes.

In the financial year of 2012-13, a total of 720 awareness camps had been sanctioned for the Coimbatore district with a majority of them already completed.

While overall, instances of these registers were on the lower side in urban areas of Coimbatore, she said that a few cases were being reported from the remote rural areas of the district.

A total of eight family welfare counsellors were appointed in the district in January. While the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, Mettupalayam Government Hospital and Pollachi Government Hospital have been appointed two each, a counsellor had been posted at Valparai Government Hospital and last one at E.S.I. Hospital here, she added.