FIGO To Expand PPIUCD Contraception Initiative Across India
15 January,Bengaluru
In the wake of population growth stabilising, but still on the rise in India, International Federation of Gynecology & Obstetrics (FIGO), which has taken up anthe initiative of popularising a cost-effective contraception treatment.
Post Partum Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device, a highly reliable form of cost-effective contraception, can further expand its initiative across India to stabilise the population growth in the long-term, experts today said.
Last year, the FIGO launched the initiative in association with the FOGSI (Federation of Obstetric & Gynecological Societies of India) in 6 select centres across the country during Phase I. They include JSS Medical College-Mysuru, CSS Medical College-Kolkata, JNM Medical College-Kalyani, Government Medical College-Surat, Nair Medical College-Mumbai, and Wadia Maternity Hospital-Mumbai.
The FIGO-FOGSI PPIUCD initiative implementation began in all the 6 centers between April and June 2015.
Speaking to reporters here Dr. Hema Divakar, National Coordinator for the FIGO-FOGSI PPIUCD initiative said the initiative had been a success in India, with a 63 master trainers created, who in turn trained 340 team members as on date.
A total of 19,577 women were counseled, including 9,905 women who came for delivery in the centers. As many as 944 of them had a PPIUCD inserted,” said ; past President, FOGSI and Medical Director, Divakars Specialty Hospital, Bengaluru. Dr. Hema was in Agra to attend the 59th All India Congress Obstetrics & Gynecology, she said.
The PPIUCD insertions were extensively carried out in the Mumbai area and it was a success.”The overall objective of the -FIGO Institutionalization of immediate post-partum IUD services -project is to address the postpartum contraceptive needs of women by training delivery staff and institutionalizing the practice of offering immediate postpartum Intra-Uterine Device services (IUD) in key teaching hospitals in India. We intend to expand this initiative to all parts of the country,” Dr Diwakar said.
The FIGO had also initiated the PPIUCD project in Sri Lanka,Nepal, and Kenya also with India being way ahead in terms of achieving the target set.
Emphasising the role of the initiative, Dr Diwakar said more than 100 million women in developing countries would prefer to avoid a pregnancy, but they may not be using any form of contraception.
Contraceptive prevalence is low in developing countries owing to unmet need for contraception. The government wants to be aggressive on this method (PPIUCD) of family planning because it can have a large percentage of women covered soon after delivery to bridge the gap of unmet need of contraception.
”These women may never return for contraceptive advice in between deliveries, so, it is better to send them with an IUCD in place,” she said.
In the developing countries, delivery may be the only time when a healthy woman comes into contact with health care providers and the chances of returning for contraceptive advice are uncertain.
Family planning programs could use the opportunity of the antepartum period for counseling and immediate postpartum period for IUCD insertion for those who are willing. This would represent the segment with a scope for maximum promotion to curtail the fertility rates,” Dr Diwakar explained.