Population Campaign 2015: Overcoming difficulties to reach the finish line

(Baonghean) - Although it is almost Tet, population work in localities is bustling with the launch of the integrated communication campaign to provide reproductive health care/family planning services. The success of the campaign will create momentum to promote the completion of the 2015 plan targets and the targets of the Resolution of the Provincial Party Congress, term XVII...

Bustling launch ceremony

Quang Thanh is one of the difficult areas of Yen Thanh rice land. It is difficult not because of the long distance, not because this is a mountainous commune, but also because the thinking and awareness of the people here about population work and building small families are still limited. That is why the 2015 population campaign with the aim of strengthening propaganda, mobilizing, supporting, and improving the quality of providing reproductive health care/family planning services in especially difficult mountainous communes and densely populated areas with high birth rates has chosen Quang Thanh as the starting point for the campaign for the whole province. Knowing that it will be extremely difficult, but what the people in the Organizing Committee are most happy about is the exchange night "Celebrating the Party - Celebrating Spring, welcoming the campaign" taking place on the evening of February 5, attracting a large number of people to follow and respond.

Population work propaganda at the 2015 campaign launching ceremony in Quang Thanh commune (Yen Thanh).

Nearly 20 performances in the exchange night brought many emotions to the audience. The audience was especially impressed with two skits staged and performed by extras from Quang Thanh and Minh Thanh communes. In the play “The Story of Mr. Vo’s House”, the audience laughed out loud at the witty and humorous words of a clumsy and foolish husband, while in the play “Mirror in Front of the Face”, many people could not hold back their tears when witnessing the old mother who was near death, who was once so proud of “having a son to continue the family line”, who did not hesitate to “cherish her son since he could turn over, sit up, and hold his face in the middle of the field when she was pregnant, struggling to raise him to be successful and famous”, but now had to “feel sorry for her old age, not having enough food, not enough blankets” because her son was unfilial and had no mercy for his parents. Her pain has also cut into the hearts of many people and once again reminds families that it is not important to have many children, not necessarily to have a son, but it is important to know how to teach and educate children to be good people.

The echoes of the successful performance made the atmosphere of the 2015 population campaign launch ceremony the next morning even more bustling. The commune's main stadium was filled with flags, banners and slogans and thousands of people came to attend. Sharing about this activity, Nguyen Thi My Tien, a 10K student at Yen Thanh 3 High School, said: For high school students, knowledge about adolescent reproductive health is still very limited. Therefore, I feel very lucky to participate in the campaign, to be propagated and consulted about reproductive health care, family planning and to understand the work and meaning of the Population sector.

Mr. Hoang Van Bay, Chairman of Quang Thanh Commune People's Committee, said: The launching ceremony is a rare communication opportunity for the people in the commune, especially when Quang Thanh is still a locality with a very high rate of third child births, people's awareness and understanding of population - family planning is still limited, the mentality of wanting to have many children is still common... A very favorable thing is that before the 2015 population campaign took place, Quang Thanh Commune Health Station had just invested and received the recognition of a commune that met national standards in health. Therefore, not only examination and consultation on normal family planning, people also have the opportunity to use modern family planning services directly treated by doctors reinforced from the district and province.

Strengthen communication

Compared to previous years, the integrated communication campaign to provide reproductive health/family planning services this year was launched earlier. Partly because this is the last year for the Population sector to implement the targets of the Resolution of the 17th Provincial Party Congress; partly because this is the year of the Goat, one of the good years according to folk beliefs, so it is hoped that the early launch will impact people's awareness, avoiding the situation of choosing a good year to give birth. Experience from many previous years shows that the integrated communication campaign to provide reproductive health/family planning services is extremely important. Thereby, it contributes positively to the work of stabilizing the population, while raising awareness of reproductive health care for women, helping people to promptly enjoy reproductive health/family planning care programs. Thereby, it contributes significantly to maintaining the birth rate reduction, improving the reproductive health of mothers and children, and improving the quality of the population.

To implement this year's campaign, the national target program has provided funding for 101 extremely disadvantaged communes, mountainous, remote and isolated areas. In addition, the province has allocated local budgets to support 50 communes in densely populated areas with high birth rates. The goal is to achieve 50% of the annual plan target for sterilization, 60% of the target for intrauterine devices, and 60% of the target for injections and implants. Ensure that at least 90% of couples of childbearing age, adolescents and young people in the campaign area are counseled and provided with information on reproductive health/family planning and population services.

With many years of successful implementation experience, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, Head of the Department of Population and Family Planning, believes in the communes that benefit from the national target program and the provincial program. The most difficult thing in 2015 is in the remaining 300 communes, because the support budget is currently completely cut, the implementation of the campaign depends on the dynamism and interest of the local government.

Mr. Phan Van Hung - Director of the Do Luong District Population Center said: In the past 2 years, the national target program has been basically completely cut, so the district has a policy of building a Population Fund in communes and districts. Therefore, in 2015, the entire district still has 1.5 billion VND in the Population Fund from 2014, including many communes with very high surpluses such as Thuong Son, My Son (110 million VND), Hien Son, Tru Son (70 million VND). This will be the source of funds for localities to purchase equipment and tools to implement the campaign. For communes without funds, the district will allocate 5 million VND to support each commune.

According to the 2015 population campaign plan, Do Luong will deploy in 33/33 communes. In addition to consulting, the district will also provide free gynecological infection drugs and contraceptive and family planning tools. Other modern services such as wet mount and ultrasound will only cost half of the market price. In Yen Thanh district, in addition to the provincial budget to support the campaign in 5 units, the district will support 90 million to build models in 6 units, the rest will be deployed through promoting population socialization and mobilizing from population funds in localities.

On a large scale, the province also called on localities and units to establish a campaign steering committee, develop plans and organize implementation in accordance with the conditions and circumstances of each locality. In addition, authorities at all levels need to pay attention, invest, support resources and ensure funding to expand the campaign area and improve the quality of reproductive health care/family planning services for local people. During the propaganda process, it is necessary to clearly identify the objectives and target audiences, and diversify the forms of propaganda so that the communication work is most effective and of the highest quality.

My Ha