Baby boom fears as contraceptives rise in price
JAKARTA (JP): The soaring price of contraceptives, brought about by the deepening economic crisis, may lead to a baby boom, State Minister of Population Ida Bagus Oka warned yesterday.
"Although no official survey has been conducted so far, I have heard reports of participants dropping out of family planning programs," Oka, who also chairs the National Family Planning Board, told journalists at his office.
"People now have to use their money to buy daily essentials rather than contraceptives," Oka said.
There are currently more than 27 million active participants in family planning programs, out of over 33 million fertile couples in the country, Oka said.
The government has frequently received acclaim for its success in controlling population growth in the country.
The sale of contraceptives is subsidized and efforts are made to supply free contraceptives to the 11 million program participants who are judged to live in poverty or on very low incomes.
"With the price rises, families who are more affluent should continue the program by themselves and not ask for free contraceptives at community health centers," the minister said.
"The exact number (of people who have dropped out of the family planning program) is not yet known," he said, pointing to a World Bank report which said that the economic crisis had forced 20 million Indonesians into poverty.
Indonesia, with a population of over 202 million, is the world's fourth most populous nation after China, India, and the United States of America.
The increasing price of contraceptives is due primarily to the materials used to manufacture them, 80 percent of which must still be imported.
Oka said the price of birth control devices had "soared by almost five times".
Recent data has already shown a fall in the use of the most common contraceptives.
Based on data for February and March obtained from the ministry, the use of intrauterine devices dropped 3.93 percent from 55,931 to 53,730, contraceptive injections administered fell by 6.28 percent from 218,664 to 204,914, use of contraceptive pills fell 7.31 percent from 139,305 to 129,114, and vaginal contraceptive devices fell by 11.40 percent from 684 to 606.
In March, nearly 5,000 fewer new participants registered nationally with family planning programs than in the previous month. In February 448,506 new participants registered with the program.
"This observation has invoked worries of another baby boom era. It's sure to come if the problem is not immediately addressed," Oka said, recalling the 1960s and 1970s when families of over five children were commonplace.
Two children per mother is now the national average, according to Oka.
The annual population growth rate in Indonesia has declined steadily from 2.32 percent in the 1980s to the current level of 1.6 percent.
Vasectomy
Oka also revealed that there was an apparent rise in the number of people relying on vasectomy, tubal ligation, contraceptive implants and condoms.
Data from February and March showed a 10.15 percent rise in vasectomies from 670 to 738, a 35.64 percent rise in tubal ligation from 6,464 to 8,768, and a 61.4 percent rise in contraceptives implants from 30,779 to 49,679.
Oka said there had also been a 0.42 percent increase in the reported use of condoms.
The ministry has urged people to continue using contraceptives.
Oka said that a market operation would be launched to ensure that contraceptives remained affordable.
He pointed out that continued foreign aid would help to continue subsidies on the price of imported materials required to manufacture contraceptives. The government has already allocated US$6 million for this purpose, he added. (aan)