Growing awareness among able couples has made them more aware of birth control bringing down the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to only 1.9 in the district against 2.3 at the national level.
The success was achieved following implementation of programmes like providing education on family planning issues to able couples to make them aware of containing population growth to attain sustainable development goals.
Talking to BSS, Deputy Director of the District Department of Family Planning (DFP) Dr. Sheikh Md. Saidul Islam said able couples have now become more aware of adopting various methods for birth control.
“As a result of increasing adoption of birth control methods following massive awareness raising publicities, the rate of menstrual regularization has reduced to almost zero level in the district,” he said.
Currently, the Contraceptive Acceptance Rate (CAR) stands at 79 percent and Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) at 70 percent in the district against the national level figures of around 78 percent and 62.4 percent respectively,” Islam said.
Talking to BSS, able couples of Chandanpat union in Sadar upazila narrated as how they became inspired to adopt various methods of family planning.
Housewives Shabana Begum, Sabina Yasmin, Manjuara and Nadira Pervin of Dangirpar village in the union said the family welfare assistants in-charge of the village regularly inspire them toward the direction.
Motaleb Mian of the village said the Family Welfare Visitor (FWV) at Chandanpat Union Health and Family Welfare Center (UHFWC) makes able couples aware of adoption of various birth control methods.
“The able couples collect inputs for family planning methods from the UHFWC or sometimes, they buy necessary materials from local markets for birth control,” Motaleb said.
Family Welfare Assistant (FWA) at Chandanpat UHFWC Kalpona Mukherjee said there are over 1,200 able couples in three wards under her working area in the union.
“It takes two months for me to give a round to the house of every able couple,” Kalpona said adding that injection and pill methods are more popular among able couples.