Union Minister of State (MoS) for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, held a meeting with public health experts to discuss issues and challenges in ensuring healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies. The meeting highlights the importance of adequately spaced pregnancies in enhancing maternal and child health outcomes. Patel said that the government’s initiatives such as PMSMA, Extended PMSMA, and Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, have resulted in a reduction of maternal mortality from over 130 to 97 per one-lakh births.
Public health experts suggested equipping youth with information about contraceptive options, global and Indian best practices, expanding the contraceptive basket of choice, and other aspects of family planning. They stressed the need for an effective communication strategy and equal participation of men and women in family planning. The meeting also discussed the importance of providing the full range of contraceptive options to women and couples to reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies.
The experts and stakeholders who attended the meeting include, among others, Ms Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Aradhana Patnaik, Addl. Secretary and Mission Director (NHM), MoHFW, Dr Kalpana Apte, Head, Family Planning Association, India, Dr Saswati Das, Sexual and Reproductive Health Specialist, UNFPA India, Dr Chander Shekhar, Professor and Head of the Department of Fertility and Social Demography at the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, Ms Moni Sinha Sagar, Division Chief for the Family Health/RMNCHA Division, USAID India, Dr Somesh Kumar, Country Director, Jhpiego India, Prof Sudha Prasad, Director and Chief of Matritava Advanced IVF & Maternity Centre, Gurugram, and Dr S K Sikdar, Ex Advisor (Family Planning & Maternal Health), MoHFW, Government of India.
