Five Additional Districts In Uttar Pradesh To Intensify Family Planning Efforts With Pehel III Launch

Lucknow— With improved demand and access to Family Planning (FP) commodities, five additional districts in Uttar Pradesh will be covered by Population Services International (PSI) and Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecological Societies of India's (FOGSI) program - PEHEL- III, to help reduce maternal mortality burden and unsafe abortion starting 2013.

 

The five new districts to be benefited under the initiative are Aligarh, Mathura, Allahabad, Bulandshahar and Saharanpur apart from Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Barabanki, Mirzapur, Firozabad and Ghaziabad which are already included in phase II of the program.

 

In Uttar Pradesh, PSI will increase the number of private service provider network form existing 452 to about 550 (adding about 100 new service providers) with an objective to promote long term reversible contraceptive  IUCD and improve access to safe medical abortion. These districts have low contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) for modern methods among all WRA in urban areas in UP.

                                            

However, at the national project level Pehel program is being implemented in 30 districts in the states of UP, Rajasthan and Delhi. The national project level goal of Pehel program is to improve the CPR from 54.8% in 2012 to 58.7% by 2015 and increase percentage of women of reproductive age using IUDs in 30 districts in urban India from 4.3% in 2012 to 6.1% by 2015

Says Mr Pritpal, Marjara, MD PSI, “Pehel is an effort by PSI-FOGSI to complement the Central and State government efforts to improve the status of the venerable women by providing quality IUD services and access to safe medical abortion through effective engagement of private sector. PSI is scaling up Pehel program by including five new districts in UP in Ph-III. PSI plans to increase the existing network from 452 to about 550 in Ph-III in UP and also placing about 1750,000 IUDs by 2015 in the network. PSI also plans to promote PPIUD along with normal IUD to bring about noticeable change in IUD usage in the state.”

As per SRS 2007-08, UP has a very high Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of 359 compare to 212 of India (SRS). Repeated unwanted pregnancies are known to be associated with high maternal mortality and morbidity.

 

As per the Program Implementation Plan 2012-13 two-third of the induced abortions that take place annually in UP alone are unsafe — performed in unhygienic conditions by untrained providers. Complications from unsafe abortion are one of the leading causes of maternal death in India.

 

Mr Marjara added that PSI (India) will also complement the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) and the private sector to increase access to safe abortion services through accessibility & availability of safe abortion services. PSI is also planning to launch 10 year IUD called Freedom 10 in 2013 to provide greater choice to women.

UP is one of the states with not so good health indicators. According to the National Health Profile report, UP has lagged behind other states in bringing down maternal deaths which has adversely affected the average rate of MMR of the country and realization of the Millennium Development Goals of improved maternal and child health (MDGs 4 and 5).

 

With a yearly population growth rate of 20.09 per cent and total fertility rate of 3.5, UP has about 199.5 million population. But about 37.7 per cent live below the poverty line, life expectancy at birth is pegged at 64.09 years and Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) rate is 359/100,000 (Source: SRS 07-08).

 

Dr Hema Divakar, President, FOGSI said, “FOGSI has joined hands with PSI to provide technical assistance, training and advocacy for the long-term birth spacing methods (IUDs), and safe medical abortion services (Safe abort kits). We aim to meet the unmet need by expanding these services — making them safe and accessible. FOGSI- PSI partnership will also undertake research on the safety and efficacy of long postpartum intrauterine device (PPIUD) inserters.”

Dr Divakar further said, “Several states including Maharashtra, West Bengal and Kerala have proven that family planning helps to promote maternal health and reduce mortality. If we promote it more in UP, it can help us reduce maternal mortality considerably.”

Family planning, according to World Health Organisation (WHO), allows individuals and couples to anticipate and attain their desired number of children, the spacing and timing of births. It is achieved through use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of involuntary infertility. A woman’s ability to space and limit her pregnancies has a direct impact on her health and well-being as well as on the outcome of each pregnancy.

Highlighting the benefits of family planning, Dr Nozer Sheriar, Secretary General, FOGSI said, “Promoting family planning and ensuring access to preferred contraceptive methods is essential to securing the well-being and autonomy of women, while supporting the health and development of communities. These include preventing pregnancy-related health risks in women; reducing infant mortality; empowering people and enhancing education; reducing adolescent pregnancies and slow population growth, all of which contribute to meeting the eight Millennium Development Goals.”

Regarding medical abortion he said that this was the game changer in enhancing access, affordability and autonomy for women who were faced with dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. Highlighting the positive contribution of medical abortion to reducing maternal mortality he stressed the need to take the availability to the next level.

As per Dr Sheriar, FOGSI will also advocate change in the MTP law and encourage the establishment of ‘Doctors Opposing Sex Selected Termination of Pregnancy’ (DOSST) Cells by all its FOGSI societies.