Rajasthan government to focus on male sterilisation

With male sterilisation figures refusing to pick up, the Rajasthan government has now written to the District Collectors to encourage men to adopt sterilisation as a family planning method after they have had two or more children.

Like elsewhere in India, vasectomy levels are extremely low in Rajasthan. Of the total number of 3 lakh sterilisations performed in 2013-2014, only 1.2 per cent vasectomies were performed while the rest were tubectomies.

“We have seen in the past that wherever District Collectors have taken interest, the vasectomy figures have shown an increase,” said G.D. Laddha, Project Director, Family Welfare. “Hence, we have written to the District Collectors to take interest in encouraging men to come forward for vasectomy.”

Rajasthan has a total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.9 with 13 per cent of couples having an unmet need for delaying and spacing child birth. Unmet need for spacing child birth is 7.3 per cent and 5.8 per cent couples want to delay child birth. According to data from the Annual Health Survey 2012–13, contraceptive coverage is 62 per cent with modern methods while about 7.5 per cent prefer or depend on traditional methods like herbs, abstinence and withdrawal.

Condoms continue to be the most used method at 10.5 per cent; the Copper-T and intrauterine contraceptive devices are used by only 1.3 per cent women who are in their reproductive age group and pills by 2.3 per cent. The use of emergency contraceptive pills is rather uncommon with only 0.1 per cent opting for this.

“Male sterilisation is a challenge because of myths attached to it,” said J.P. Singhal, Director Family Welfare. There have been occasions when the figure has gone up but we need to create awareness about non-scalpel vasectomy, he said adding that efforts were being made to involve local community leaders and public representatives in doing this.

Of the over 3 lakh sterilisations in the last financial year, 2.98 lakh were tubectomies and just about 3,768 vasectomies. Of the 81 sterilisation camps organised this year when 74,428 sterilisations were performed, 73,566 were tubectomies while 862 were vasectomies.

Figures made available by the Health Department show no male underwent vasectomy in Jhalawar although close to 300 women underwent tubectomy. In Karauli, Bundi, and Dungarpur districts, one male each underwent vasectomy followed by Jhalore, Barmer and Pratapgarh with two each.