UT TOPS LIST IN USE OF MALE CONTRACEPTIVES

NEW DELHI: Data presented by Anupriya Patel, the minister of state for health and family welfare, in Parliament on Friday showed that Chandigarh topped the list of 36 Indian states and Union Territories in terms of contraceptive usage of males.

The percentage of males using family planning methods such as sterilisation and condom stood at 28.6% usage. Delhi and Punjab followed closely at 20.2% and 19.5%, respectively.

The national average stood at 5.9%, showed government data. Among the states where the number of men having undergone sterilisation and using condoms is low are: Andhra Pradesh (0.8%), Tamil Nadu (0.9%) and Bihar (1.1%).

While the government has taken several measures to raise awareness and encourage men to adopt family planning methods, such as conducting a “vasectomy fortnight” in November, enhancing compensation for male sterilisation and door-to-door condom distribution, the numbers still are far from encouraging.

Even though the exposure to family planning messages is higher for men (76%) than women (72%), three in eight men believe that contraception is a woman’s business and that a man should not have to worry about it.

“We are still struggling with the biases surrounding male sterilisation. Gender is a huge factor and our focus is to create awareness,” said Manoj Jhalani, mission director of the National Health Mission under the Union health ministry.

Experts agree that there are lots of myths surrounding the topic.

“The male sterilisation or vasectomy figures are even lower because the mindset needs to change. Providing incentives will not help unless the thought process changes,” said Poonam Muttreja, executive director of Population Foundation of India.

IN CHANDIGARH, THE PERCENTAGE OF MALES USING FAMILY PLANNING METHODS SUCH AS STERILISATION AND CONDOM STOOD AT 28.6% USAGE; DELHI, PUNJAB FOLLOW AT 20.2% AND 19.5%