The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 30th November 2024 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

 Indians Need to Share Contraceptive Responsibility

Why in News?

India's family planning program has experienced a decrease in the number of male sterilizations. Currently, vasectomies make up only 0.3% of all sterilization procedures. This situation highlights a gender imbalance, as it places the responsibility mainly on women. This trend goes against the goals set by the National Health Policy 2017.

• To create fair contraceptive options, it is important to address several issues, including:
  • Social stigma surrounding male sterilization.
  • Gaps in awareness about the available options.
  • Shortcomings in service delivery for these procedures.

Introduction: Evolution of Family Planning in India

• India started its national family planning program in 1952. The program initially concentrated on improving maternal and child health before changing its focus to stabilizing the population.
• During the 1960s, there was a strong emphasis on permanent methods of contraception, particularly vasectomies. In fact, from 1966 to 1970, vasectomies made up about 80.5% of all sterilization procedures.
• In recent years, the use of vasectomies has dropped significantly. According to the NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5, vasectomy procedures now account for only 0.3%.

Gender Disparity in Sterilisation

• Female sterilisation accounts for 37.9% of all contraceptive methods used.
• In contrast, male sterilisation is only 0.3%, highlighting a significant gender gap.
• This gap poses a challenge to the National Health Policy 2017, which aims to raise the rate of male sterilisation to 30%.
• The low rate of male sterilisation also hinders India's efforts to achieve SDG 5, which focuses on gender equality.

Awareness Initiatives for Vasectomies

• Global and national events, such as World Vasectomy Day on November 15, 2024, and Vasectomy Fortnight in India in 2017, focus on raising awareness and encouraging more people to consider the procedure.
• Even with these initiatives, there are still many challenges at the local level that make it hard for more men to choose sterilization.

Challenges and Ground Realities

• Social Perceptions: Research in rural Maharashtra shows that people think sterilization is mainly a woman's duty. Men often avoid it because of tough work conditions and misunderstandings about the procedure.
• Lack of Awareness: Many men and women do not know about the cash rewards available for vasectomy or how it can be a shared responsibility in family planning.
• Service Accessibility: In rural areas, there are not enough skilled healthcare providers, and even local health workers often do not know how to perform no-scalpel vasectomies.

Suggested Solutions

• Awareness and Sensitisation:
  • Start teaching about gender equality and reproductive responsibility during teenage years.
  • Run ongoing campaigns to challenge myths and reduce the stigma around vasectomies as a safe and simpler option compared to tubectomies.
• Enhanced Incentives:
  • Boost the conditional cash incentives to help cover the financial losses for men who choose to have a vasectomy.
  • For instance, in Madhya Pradesh, the incentives were increased by 50% in 2022, and a study in Maharashtra in 2019 showed that more men opted for vasectomies when incentives were offered.
• International Best Practices:
  • South Korea: The acceptance of vasectomies is high due to progressive societal norms and a focus on gender equality.
  • Bhutan: The popularity of vasectomies increased thanks to health camps and high-quality services.
  • Brazil: Public awareness campaigns through mass media raised the number of vasectomies from 0.8% in the 1980s to 5% recently.

Way Forward

• Improve national health systems and policies to ensure they meet goals, focusing on making them practical for real-world use and effective service delivery.
• Invest in training for healthcare workers and use advanced methods such as non-scalpel vasectomies.
• Combine public awareness campaigns with solid policy actions to achieve lasting results in the acceptance of male sterilization.