BHUBANESWAR: ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, the Odisha government is all set to rope in mothers-in-law along with daughters-in-law to achieve its family planning goals With the population bomb ticking and the state witnessing a significant drop in use of contraceptives, the government has decided to organise ‘saas-bahu’ summits to impart family planning lessons. It will also provide a kit containing condoms and contraceptive pills as a ‘wedding gift’ to newly-married couples.
At 1.6, though Odisha’s total fertility rate (TFR) is below the national average of two there is no significant improvement in the use of modern contraceptive methods leading to high cases of unwanted pregnancy and abortions.
As per NFHS-5, condom use in the state is only 5.5 per cent (pc) against the national average of 9.5 pc while the number of women using pills as contraceptives has fallen from 12 pc in 2015-16 to 10.8 pc in 2019-21. Data indicates government supplied condom use has dropped by around 35 pc between 2011 and 2020 in the state.
Health authorities said contraceptives and family planning are taboo topics in many communities and access to family planning methods cannot increase without a baseline community understanding of its benefits which help counter ingrained cultural stigmas. Director of Family Planning Dr Bijay Panigrahy said the ‘saas-bahu sammelans’ will facilitate improved communication between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law besides breaking the myths and barriers around family planning.
“Such congregations will bring saas and bahu on a common platform and discuss the health of women members, family planning issues, spacing and limiting methods. They will be taught various measures of family planning through interactive sessions, folk games and followed up by quiz competitions,” he said.
Saas-bahus to take care of family planning in Odisha
The summits would be taken up by healthcare workers at sub-centres and health-wellness centres. Though it has been planned to conduct the events twice a year - during January and July - the state government will organise it later this month or early next month in the first phase.
Newly married women, high risk pregnant women and ideal couples who have maintained proper gaps between children besides those who adopt family planning methods and others will attend the event. There will be talk shows by couples who have been practising such methods. The ASHAs have been entrusted with the task of arranging the meetings.
A quiz competition will also be organised among participants to assess the understanding of family planning services. As a token of appreciation, prizes will be given to all the champions who had spoken about their experience.
The government has made budgetary provisions for organising the summits. “ASHAs have been trained in arranging the events and gifting the kits to all newly-weds in a proper manner and encouraging them to adopt family planning methods. They will be paid incentives for it,” Dr Panigrahy added.