Antara, Chhaya to aid female contraception

ALLAHABAD: In a first, both injectable and weekly oral contraceptive pills would now be available at district women’s hospitals. The two temporary methods —Antara (injectable contraceptive) and Chhaya (weekly oral contraceptive pills) — were launched on Thursday by the health department under its Mission Parivar Vikas.
Health department officials said on Day 1 itself, as many as 100 women seeking temporary family planning measures were given injectable contraceptives or weekly oral contraceptive pills for family planning.

District programme manager (National Health Mission) VK Singh said, “The health department aims to bring the total fertility rate (TFR) of Allahabad down to 2.1 by 2020. The figure stands at 3.1 currently.”

He added that Mission Parivar Vikas is being launched by the state government in 57 out of 75 districts across the state. “Under the Antara scheme, both beneficiary and motivator ( health worker) would be given Rs 100 each as incentive,” he said. Antara and Chhaya would also be available at primary /community health centres as well as sub-centres in the days to come.

Singh said, “Earlier, the facility of injectable contraceptives was available in the private health sector. Now it is available at government health units as well. Medical and para-medical staff are being imparted training for both the schemes. Doctors and staff nurses posted at primary and community health centres would also be trained.”

In the current financial year, Sangam city has achieved only 36% of its target of female sterilization (9,442 out of 25,981).