A meeting was held in Dhaka recently with the Director General of Family Planning, Dr. Kazi Mustafa Sarwar on family planning and sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS) issues.
During the meeting, Zakia Akhter, Deputy Director (PM), IEM unit said that, Family Planning department under IEM unit are going to make agreement with 16 schools in the country, where, several campaigns, debate contests and media campaigns will take place. The main purpose of those campaigns is to ensure family planning and adolescence friendly healthcare services.
She further added that, IEM unit is thinking about ensuring the knowledge of reproductive health and ensuring the betterment of mental health among the students of Madrasah.
Dr. Abu Zamil of FP 2020 focal point said that, To spread the knowledge of family planning and reproductive health among the youths, apart from the discussion with the Department of Family Planning, the involvement of the Department of Youth and Sports and the Department of Women and Children Affairs should be ensured.
He thinks that, youths have eagerness to acquire knowledge of reproductive health. So they should be given proper information regarding this topic.
Abu Sayed Hasan, Technical Officer at United Nations Population Fund, said that, IC materials and information should be prepared accordingly so that, teenagers become eager to acquire knowledge on adolescence health care service.
Line director of the Department of Family Planning, Dr. Moinuddin Ahmed said that, Department of Family planning should provide services related to health care and family planning.
In the end, the DGFP emphasized on taking initiative for reducing the age of women’s marriage and also to ensure proper management of period. Moreover, he hopes that in future, NGOs should work with cooperation reagrding this issue.
Mr. S M Shaikat, the Executive Director of SERAC-Bangladesh concluded the meeting thanking everyone to attend. He requested the Department of Family Planning to take proper steps to ensure adolescence reproductive healthcare (ARH) services at health centers.
