Achieving goal to increase contraceptive use rate to 80 percent by 2021 from current 61.7 percent among eligible couple is a big challenge for controlling population, said Health Minister Prof AFM Ruhal Haque.
On the eve of the World Population Day to be observed today, he made this remark at a press conference at his ministry yesterday.
This year the theme of the day is "The World at 7 billion".
The health minister identified lower rate of contraceptive prevalence, early marriage, and lower rate of adopting long and permanent contraceptive methods among the eligible couple as big challenges to population control.
"23 percent of the total population are adolescents in the country and the average age of marriage is still 16.4. One third of women become mother before they reach 20 years of age," said the minister adding that only 38 percent of this age group adopts family planning method and reaching them is still a challenge for the government.
Quoting Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2007, the health minister said that though 61.7 percent couples are using contraceptives while only 5.2 percent use temporary family planning method.
Pointing out men's negligible participation in contraceptive use, he said that it is only 0.6 percent of the rate of contraceptive use.
Highlighting some achievements made in the last 36 years in population control, he said, "The success of population control cannot be seen within a year or two. Rather, we have to wait for long five or six years to see the results."
The minister said the government has taken population control issue seriously.
Among others, State Minister Mozibur Rahman Fakir and Secretary Humayun Kabir, Director General of Directorate General of Health Service MM Neazuddin also spoke at the press conference.
Source : The Daily Star
