RANGPUR, July 11, 2018 (BSS) – Health experts at a post-rally discussion here today said Bangladesh has achieved laudable success in containing population growth through popularising family planning programmes.
They came up with the view in the discussion organised by the Department of Family Planning (DFP) to observe the World Population Day- 2018 with the theme of ‘Family Planning is a Human Right.’
The DFP jointly with the district health administration, Plan International, Surjer Hanshi Clinic, LAMB Hospital, United Nationals Family Planning Association and other organisations chalked out programmes to observe 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.
Hundreds of people, including officials, executives and employees of government departments and NGOs, professionals, educationists, students and civil society members participated in the rally.
Divisional Director (Local Government) Zakir Hossain attended the discussion held at conference room of the Civil Surgeon as the chief guest with Deputy Director of the DFP Dr Md Saidul Islam in the chair. Divisional Director (Health) Dr Mostafizur Rahman and Civil Surgeon Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam addressed the occasion as special guests.
The chief guest called for encouraging all able couples in adopting short and long-term as well as permanent methods of family planning and popularise the message of ‘not more than two children, but one is better’.
Dr Islam narrated the massive programmes being implemented by the government to provide advanced education on family planning issues to the able couples and common people to make them aware of containing population growth. The Civil Surgeon stressed on ensuring health education for adolescents, preventing adolescent pregnancy and child marriage to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths in attaining the sustainable development goals.
Dr Rahman put special emphasis on imparting education on family planning to the teenage girls and women through the community clinics, union health and family welfare centers, mother and children welfare centers and other service centres.