Popularise family planning to contain population growth: Experts

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RANGPUR, July 11, 2017 (BSS) – Experts at a discussion here today called for popularising family planning to contain population growth as a prerequisite for attaining the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

They came up with the call in the post-rally discussion organised to observe the World Population Day- 2017 with the theme of ‘Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations’ by the Family Planning Department (FPD).

The FPD in association with the district administration, USAID-Advancing Adolescent Health, LAMB Hospital, LAMB A2H Project and other voluntary organisations chalked out elaborate programmes in observance of the day.

The programmes included rally, discussion and distribution of prizes among best family planning assistants, female family planning visitors and different organisations for their extraordinary contributions to the population control programme.

Officials, executives, employees, professionals, educationists, students and civil society members participated in the rally with banners, festoons and placards bearing different slogans in the city streets.

Divisional Commissioner Kazi Hasan Ahmed attended the discussion held at conference room of the Civil Surgeon as the chief guest with Divisional Deputy Director of the FPD Dr Sheikh Saiful Islam in the chair.

Divisional Deputy Director (Health) Dr Mozammel Hossain, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Wahiduzzaman, Zila Parishad Chairman Advocate Chhafia Khanom, Civil Surgeon Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam addressed as special guests.

In his welcome speech, Dr Sheikh Saiful Islam narrated importance of the day and massive programmes being implementing by the government to provide advanced education to the common people to make them efficient citizens.

He put special importance on imparting healthcare education to the teenage girls, children and women through community clinics, union health and family welfare centers, mother and children welfare centers and other service centres.

Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam stressed on ensuring health education for adolescents, preventing adolescent pregnancy and child marriage to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths in attaining SDGs and ensuring welfare of the future generations.

The chief guest called for popularising the message of ‘not more than two children, but one is better’ and encouraging all able couples in adopting short, long-term and permanent methods of family planning to contain population growth.