Govt renew birth control program<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Anxious about Indonesia's growing population, the government has
\nintroduced a community-based family planning program at the
\nneighborhood unit (RT) level to give people better access to
\ncontraception.<\/p>\n
\"The program will require a bigger role from the head of an RT
\nand his or her secretary,\" National Family Planning Coordinating
\nBoard chairwoman Sumarjati Arjoso said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Under the new program, local residents will be able to obtain
\nbirth control pills and condoms from their neighborhood heads
\ninstead of having to go to community health centers (Puskesmas).
\nIn remote or rural areas it can take people hours to reach a
\nPuskesmas.<\/p>\n
The neighborhood head would also responsible for recording
\nuseful data about residents' fertility and their participation in
\nthe family planning program, Sumarjati told a discussion on
\npopulation.<\/p>\n
The new program, inaugurated by President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri on Wednesday, will also be expected to provide
\ncentral administrations data about the health of the people in
\nneighborhood areas.<\/p>\n
\"We should set a realistic target at the moment. When there
\nare some (family planning) programs which do not work well, we
\nshould quickly think of and switch to something new,\" Sumarjati
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The government has set a target of reducing the country's
\nnational average fertility rate of 2.6 children per mother in
\n2002 to 2.4 children by the end of this year.<\/p>\n
\"The rate of 2.6 children per mother is found among well-
\neducated and middle-income background mothers, while among those
\nwho were not educated and poor the rate could reach three,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
A recent survey by the board revealed 97 percent of
\nIndonesians understood the concept of family planning, but only
\n63 percent of them participated in family planning programs.<\/p>\n
Under former president Soeharto, birth control programs were
\nconsidered a success.<\/p>\n
Following the fall of New Order, Sumarjati said the board
\nneeded to find innovative and creative ways to encourage people
\nto again take part in family planning programs.<\/p>\n
To boost the involvement of youths and fertile couples, the
\nboard is also installing condom vending machines in public places
\nsuch as shopping centers and offices around the country.<\/p>\n
However, when The Jakarta Post tried a machine spotted on the
\nfirst floor of the board's head office in East Jakarta on
\nThursday, it did not work.<\/p>\n
The machine took three Rp 500 coins but vended nothing.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country after
\nChina, India and the United States with 215 million people.<\/p>\n
The U.S.-based Population Reference Bureau estimated in their
\nreport recently Indonesia's population could grow to 308 million
\nby 2050 if the government did not encourage family planning.<\/p>\n
Population growth has added to the country's major problems of
\nunemployment, poverty, a high crime rate, illiteracy and poor
\nhealth care.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-renew-birth-control-program-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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