DHAKA, Jan 26, 2024 (BSS) - Monkhushi, a mother of two, is now leading a happy family life because of her proper family planning, thanks to a campaign of the Directorate of Family Planning.

"Now I am not interested in bearing any more child as I have two kids. The campaign of the Directorate of Family Planning helped me take this right decision, she said.

A resident of capital's Lalbagh Rishipara area, Monkhushi has a family of four with two kids. Her husband is Swapon, who runs his family with a small business.

Talked to Mankhushi at Azimpur Matrisadan and Child Health Training Institute, she shared many things. She came to vaccinate their 1.5 year-old-girl Ankhi.

This scenario is not only the case of any particular couple, but also most of the families across the country including capital city Dhaka.

 But in 1971, the fertility rate was 6.9 percent; that means a mother gave birth to 7 children on average. Now it has come down to 2.3 percent which is the lowest in South Asia. However, the Bangladesh government has planned to bring this rate to 2 percent by 2025.

 As many as 79 percent of women with two children are reluctant to have another child, which was 67 percent in 2004 due to increased awareness among the people, according to Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) data released in 2020.

In 1975, the fertility rate was 6.3. Subsequently it came down to 6.2 in 1981, the statistics added.

Bangladesh has already been able to reduce child mortality. In return, Bangladesh won the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) award.

The officials and field workers of the Directorate of Family Planning are working tirelessly to achieve the goal of achieving SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) awards like MDG awards if maternal mortality rate control is possible.

 Country's family planning programs in Bangladesh began in the early fifties as a voluntary initiative. Considering the importance of it family planning program was nationalized in 1965 and family planning service donation program started officially.

Rapid population growth was identified as one of the major problems in the First Five Year Plan of 1973-78 and multifaceted steps were taken to accelerate family planning programs under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The Five Year Plan was the first step to officially control the country's population. Subsequently this, the first National Population Policy was formulated in 1976.

Realizing the importance of family planning, the next population policy was formulated in 2012 involving 25 ministries. Currently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is implementing family planning programs in the light of this policy.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced a target of bringing down the maternal mortality rate in childbirth to 70 per lakh by 2030.

For this three things - stopping early marriage, early pregnancy and, having frequent children - need to be emphasized.

The main objective of the family planning is to reduce infant and maternal mortality. Total 163 out of every 100,000 mothers die while giving birth in the country.

 To ensure a safe delivery, 24-hour safe delivery services have been ensured in 2,860 centers out of 3,064 Union Health and Family Welfare centers under the Directorate of Family Planning.

 Apart from it, the family planning department deals with maternal and child health, reproductive health, adolescent health and nutrition services. Planned family formation is the prime object of the family planning.

Meanwhile, 70 out of 96 mother and child welfare centers are providing emergency obstetric services. In this regard, the great success of the Directorate of Family Planning is that the total fertility rate in the country has decreased by about two percent due to the various activities.

As a planned family is an enlightened family, planned family formation help prevent unwanted pregnancies and reduce maternal and child mortality.