Brainstorming Workshop on Initiatives for Reforms in Reproductive and Child Health and Contraceptive Services at NIHFW, New Delhi (26^th & 27^th November, 2007)

Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh (JSK) had organized a two-day Brainstorming Workshop on Innovations in imparting Reproductive & Child Health and Family Planning Services at the Village Level on 26-27^th November, 2007 at National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW), New Delhi. 

            JSK had invited women Sarpanches from 13 districts of the EAG states alongwith the Chief Medical and Health Officers (CMHO) and District Panchayati Raj Officers of these districts with the aim of involving them in becoming a conduit for changing mindsets. The focus of the workshop was how maternal health impacts on the infant’s health and the physical and mental growth and development of the child.

The Sarpanches came from the following districts:

The selection of Sarpanches was made by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India in consultation with JSK on the basis of GIS based health facility maps prepared by JSK.

The main objective of the workshop was to encourage the Sarpanches to introduce innovative approaches to influence the village communities to integrate mothers and children’s health issues into behaviour change messaging. More specifically they were told the benefits of pushing up the age of marriage, the timing of the birth of the first child and providing for a 36 months gap between 2 children followed by acceptance of a terminal method of sterilization by either parent. This was particularly necessary as in the identified districts more than 60% of the girls were married before the age of 18 leading to a large population of the infants being born underweight. The contraceptive prevalence rate, number of children born to women were also very high leading to high levels of maternal mortality.

Outcomes

Sarpanches with the help of CHMOs and BDOs undertook to prepare projects focusing on the following issues and deliverables : 

• Compulsory Registration of all marriages and birth of a child.

• Incentivising delaying the age of the girl’s marriage to 19 years (incentive Rs.5,000/-),

• First  Child at the age of 21 years (wife) (incentive Rs.5,000/- if the child is a boy and Rs.7,000/- if the child  is a  girl)

• Gap of three years between first and second child (incentive Rs.5,000/- if the child is a boy and Rs.7,000/- if the child is a girl) and adoption of a permanent family planning method immediately thereafter.

 It was decided that the Sarpanches with the help of district CMHOs will identify BPL families and the rewards would be instituted by way of Kisan Vikas Patras to be issued by the local post office.  This was considered a way of focusing on the issue of early marriage, importance of the girl child, need for spacing and planning the family. The strategy aimed at creating awareness about the need to link the mother’s health with that of the child’s, in line with the National Population Policy action plan.

     JSK has now initiated a strategy called Prerana. Click here to visit ‘What will JSK do?’

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JSK has now initiated the Santushti strategy. Click here to visit ‘What will JSK do?’

The two day workshop with a gathering of around 50 persons from the underserved districts and villages having poor health indices was successful. The turnout was almost 100% as planned. In the smaller working groups on Day-II, numerous implementational issues were raised but the enthusiasm to approach the subject and select role models was clearly evident among all the participants.

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(Website last updated on 22nd August, 2008)