Misguided notions about modes to control population have turned the contraceptives prevalence rate (CPR) in Pakistan among the lowest in the Muslim world.
Addressing a seminar to commemorate World Contraception Day, experts including Dr Saadia Paul, Dr Rukhsana Mughal and pioneer of midwifery training in Pakistan Imtiaz Kamal said that CPR in Pakistan was mere 30% as compared to 56% in Bangladesh, 55% in Malaysia, 61% in Indonesia, Iran’s 74%, Turkey’s 71%, Morocco 63% and Egypt 60%.
They attributed the situation to wrongly placed perceptions and misgivings even among the otherwise educated sections in the country.
“Despite the fact that a growing number of married women in child bearing age group strongly feel the need for family planning methods yet they are either denied of these or are themselves reluctant to use these methods,” said Prof Rukhsana Mughal from Aga Khan Hospital.
Dr Saadia Paul, a senior member of the Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of Pakistan (SOGP), said the unmet needs of married women, between the age of 15 to 49, was also due to non availability or poor accessibility to family planning services or contraceptive options. “Poor quality of services available at reproductive healthcare centers and other relevant facilities is also a major issue that can not be ignored.
“Lack of respect shown to the clients by the service providers including doctors is again a major stumbling block for women in need,” said the senior gynecologist.
It is therefore of little surprise to know that a mere two percent of these women use pills, with another two percent using intravenous uterine device (IUD), she said.
Imtiaz Kamal said the World Contraception Day 2012 was being celebrated with the theme “A world where every pregnancy is wanted”.
He said there was urgency to make people understand that contraception was not simply meant to avoid pregnancies but to help couples and their children have healthy lives as well.
“The fact that hundreds of women and babies lose their lives every day due to child birth complications and that there is also a constant increase in poverty levels in the country must not be ignored,” he added.
The three experts also took strong exception to the fact that rural women and couples were largely denied of these facilities with direct bearing on their health, social as well as economic status.
The right of couples in general and women in particular to decide about size of the family must be respected, they said.
