BENGALURU:Karnataka has entered into an Memorandum of Understanding with EngenderHealth to train service providers about newly introduced contraceptives, injectables and oral pills, and inserting intra-uterine devices to provide the service in medical colleges, district hospitals, and sub-district hospitals with a high delivery caseload. As many as 60 facilities have been identified in 14 districts to provide information and these services.
Approximately, 1.2 crore births (48.1 per cent) annually are inadequately spaced resulting in increased risk of maternal and infant morbidities and mortalities.According to the National Family Health Survey- 4 (NFHS), the current use of intrauterine devices is 0.8 per cent in Karnataka as compared to 1.5 per cent in India and 1.6 per cent and 1.9 per cent in Kerala and Tamil Nadu respectively. At the same time current use of pills and condoms in Karnataka is at 0.4 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively whereas India is having 4.1per cent and 5.6 per cent average current use of these methods respectively.
Women with an unmet need for spacing are those who desire to postpone their next birth by a specified length of time but who do not currently use a contraceptive method because of inaccessibility or lack of agency in decision-making.
Unmet need for spacing for Karnataka is 6 per cent whereas India and other southern states are having relatively lower percentage for the same. Spacing methods prevalence is only 2.6 per cent among the eligible couples which is around 12% in the country.
Dr Rajkumar N, Deputy Director, Maternal Health, Department of Health and Family Welfare, “The state may fare poorly in the use of contraceptive methods but the total fertility rate is the most reliable indicator of the success of family planning, and we are better than the national average in that.”Statistics also show that the entire onus of birth control is left to women as male sterilisation rates are very poor in the state.
Male sterilisation is 0.1% in the state whereas the national average is 0.3%.