Assam News

Sonitpur and Dima Hasao Districts Mark World Population Day with Focus on Family Planning and Health Awareness

In observance of World Population Day, the Sonitpur district undertook a wide-ranging initiative organized by the district health department Sonitpur.

Sentinel Digital Desk

Tezpur: In observance of World Population Day, the Sonitpur district undertook a wide-ranging initiative organized by the district health department Sonitpur. The purpose of this initiative was to enhance awareness about family planning among the residents of Sonitpur.

This year’s theme for World Population Day, aligned with the “Developed India” campaign, focused on promoting family planning methods as a means to achieve happiness and prosperity. The health department emphasized the significance of adopting these methods to ensure the well-being of families and the community at large.

Throughout the district, various activities and programmes were conducted to educate the public on the benefits of family planning. The events included informational sessions highlighting the availability and proper use of free family planning methods at nearby government healthcare facilities. These sessions aimed to inform residents about the resources available to them and to encourage the adoption of family planning practices.

In addition to the educational sessions, the initiative also provided motivational incentives for those who chose to adopt family planning methods. This effort was designed to not only inform but also actively encourage participation in family planning programs. A crucial part of the awareness campaign was to reiterate the legal marriage age, which is set at above 18 years for girls and above 21 years for boys. This aspect of the initiative aimed to address the issues of early marriage and its impact on population growth and family health.

Health officials and volunteers were actively involved in disseminating this information, ensuring that the message reached a wide audience across the district. The comprehensive approach taken by the Sonitpur health department underscored the importance of family planning in fostering a prosperous and healthy community.

HAFLONG: “World Population Day” was observed in Dima Hasao district to raise awareness among the people of Dima Hasao district about issues of overpopulation related to health issues.  The programme was organized by District Health Society in the office of the Joint Director of health services, on Thursday. The theme for this year’s World Population Day is “Health Timing & Spacing of Pregnancies for well-being of mother and child.”

The programme was also attended by the Joint director of health services Dr. Duleshwar Gogoi, SDM&HO medical and health services Dr. Leena Hakmaosa, district immunization officer Dr. Marina Changsan, Nurses, AHSAs, medical staff and health beneficiaries.

The celebration of World Population Day, this year is divided into 4 phases- preparatory, phase, community mobilization fortnight, service delivery forthright & rewards & recognition phase.

Dr. Marina Changsan said that this day is observed to raise awareness, encourage action and highlight issues related to the impact, and also urge people to opt for sustainable choices. While the growing population opens up new avenues of opportunities, it can also influence challenges. “We need to understand the impact and take measures accordingly and also involvement of client mobilization and house-to-house contact will be carried out by frontline workers of NHM, ASHA and other health workers,” she added.

During the programme Dr. Leena Hakmaosa emphasized about the importance of awareness amongst the eligible couples on benefits of a smaller family, encourage and help them for modern family planning. As overpopulation has many issues in general, but related to health it could increase the risk of infections like tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, dengue fever and more. She added we need to make aware the eligible couples about the numerous benefits of birth-control, early marriage in the rural area. We need to encourage woman decision as well as male engagement in family planning.

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