'Decentralization affects family planning program'<\/p>\n
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The National Family Planning Board (BKKBN) has expressed concern
\nabout the future of the family planning program after a transfer
\nof the responsibility to regional governments next year.<\/p>\n
In its statement released on Thursday, the board said there
\nwas uncertainty in the division of labor and coordination among
\nthe central, provincial, regental, and municipal governments
\nregarding the implementation and financing of the program. It
\nalso questioned how the central and provincial government would
\nmaintain its technical, financial, and logistical support for the
\nprogram.<\/p>\n
A survey conducted by BKKBN in 2002 found less than 10 percent
\nof government health clinics followed the manual on prevention of
\ninfection which may result from the use of contraceptives. It
\nalso discovered that the quality of counseling in the family
\nplanning program was poor and that 20 percent of government
\nclinics had never been supervised.<\/p>\n
Another survey revealed that not a single clinic was equipped
\nto perform sterilizations in West Java.<\/p>\n
The low quality of the services in the family planning program
\ncan endanger clients' lives, lower public trust in the program,
\nlead to drop outs, it said.<\/p>\n
The Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (SDKI) revealed
\nthat nationwide, the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) among
\nfertile couples increased to 60.3 percent in 2003, from 57.4
\npercent in 1997. As a result, the fertility rate decreased to 2.6
\nfrom 2.8. This means that two to three children were born to one
\nwoman.<\/p>\n
Current BKKBN data recorded 27 million fertile couples.<\/p>\n
Funded by the World Bank and the U.S. Agency for International
\nDevelopment (USAID), the SDKI was conducted by Macro
\nInternational Corporation, taking samples in the provinces of
\nBangka Belitung, Banten, and Gorontalo from October 2002 until
\nApril 2003.<\/p>\n
However, previous data from the 2002 survey showed that the
\nCPR figure varied from one province to another. Some provinces,
\nsuch as Central Java and East Java, and North Sulawesi, equaled
\nEuropean countries at 69 percent, while other provinces like East
\nNusa Tenggara, West Sulawesi and North Sulawesi the rate was
\nestimated at between 29 and 35 percent, way below the average
\nworld figure of 40 percent.<\/p>\n
These disparities in regional data proved that the government
\nneeded extra efforts in promoting the use of contraceptives in
\nprovinces with low CPR, BKKBN said.<\/p>\n
With the current population of 215 million, the CPR figure of
\n60.3 percent must be maintained, if not improved, as a 0.5
\npercent decrease each year may increase the population to 265
\nmillion in 2015 and adversely affect the country's political and
\neconomic stability.<\/p>\n
\"Thus, we are now trying to actively start promoting the
\nfamily planning program by providing information on the
\nimportance of the use of contraceptives, as it can help decrease
\nthe fertility rate,\" BKKBN chairperson Sumarjati Arjoso said.<\/p>\n
Sumarjati further said that now, the BKKBN was focusing on
\nlong-term contraception methods, such as the intrauterine device
\n(IUD), implants and tubal litigation.<\/p>\n
She hoped the program would raise the CPR to 75 percent in
\n2015.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/decentralization-affects-family-planning-program-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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