India’s ever-growing population is one of the national concerns that our country is facing for decades. Moreover, talking about facts and figures a recent report by the United Nations suggests that India is all set to overtake China as the world’s most populated country within eight years. It’s high time we buckle up and do our bit in population control.
Accordingly, the government of India has introduced several measures to control population growth. Right from creating awareness about the birth control measures to free services of vasectomy and tubectomy in cities, our country is progressively working to curb population growth.
But according to the latest data released on World Population Day on July 11, it was found that women’s participation in family planning measures is a hundred times more than that of men. In the last three years, a total of 337 men had undergone vasectomy as opposed to 33,690 women, who underwent tubectomy in the same time span.
Pune municipal corporation has come up with a brilliant idea to boost male participation in the family planning procedures. Accordingly, men undergoing vasectomy will be rewarded with financial incentives along with friends and relatives who encouraged them to take the procedure, reports The Indian Express.
Dr. Anjali Sabne, assistant medical officer of health, Pune Municipal Corporation said, “From July 15 to 24, free sterilization camps have been organized at Sonawane Maternity Home in Bhawani Peth, Meentai Thackeray Maternity Home in Kondhwa and Sanjay Gandhi Maternity Home in Bopodi.”
“They receive Rs 1,100 while the relative or friend who has encouraged them to undergo the procedure receives Rs 200,” said Sabne. “We have tried to generate awareness about the issue through our campaigns,” she added.
According to the data released by PMC health department, out of the total 10,214 sterilizations happened in 2019 includes only 65 men who underwent a vasectomy. While in 2018, a total of 144 men had opted for non-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) as compared to 11,064 women and 128 men who had undergone the procedure as against 12,477 women in 2017.
Moreover, NSV is a less expensive procedure in comparison to tubectomy. It was introduced back in 1998 but has still not managed to fetch many male takers. We hope this creative step by PMC helps them boost male participation in the family planning process.