Ministry Partners with Midwives and Military to Boost Male Contraception Participation
The Ministry of Population and Family Development (Kemendukbangga)/BKKBN is partnering with the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and midwives to increase male participation in family planning (KB), aiming to broaden outreach from the current participation rate of three per cent in Indonesia.
Wahidin, Deputy for Family Planning and Reproductive Health (KBKR) at Kemendukbangga/BKKBN, stated during the launch of the ‘Ayah Idaman’ (Ideal Father) Class in Jakarta on Wednesday that the programme was launched to optimise the use of male contraception, which currently hovers around three per cent, with a target of reaching four per cent.
“Therefore, we are launching the Ayah Idaman Programme, where husbands are encouraged to be actively involved in family planning decisions within the household. In the initial stage, 1,000 independent practising midwives are involved as a pilot project,” Wahidin said.
He noted that men generally use condoms for family planning, with current users numbering around 900,000, while users of the Male Surgical Method (MOP/vasectomy) total approximately 31,000.
“This figure is still quite low compared to the roughly 27 million contraceptive users overall,” Wahidin stated.
He stressed the importance of husbands’ involvement in every family decision, considering that many unplanned pregnancies still occur because wives discontinue contraceptive use.
“Discontinuation of contraception is often triggered by medical incompatibility with the method used, because husbands are frequently not maximally involved in the discussion process regarding contraception. As a result, the decision to stop contraception can increase the risk of unplanned pregnancy,” he explained.
Wahidin said midwives are expected to facilitate education for couples so that husbands understand the risks of pregnancy, including risks to the safety of the mother and baby.
Furthermore, the TNI is also a supporting partner for the programme, with expansion to other agencies such as the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP) and the fire department, considering that most of these agencies are dominated by men.
“Agency leaders are expected to socialise the programme to all their members or spread it by word of mouth. The Ayah Idaman programme aims for husbands to actively accompany their wives from the first trimester of pregnancy through to the delivery process, as well as to be involved in decision-making regarding the choice of postpartum contraceptive methods,” he said.