Bringing services to hard-to-reach areas.

(Baonghean) - With the mission of bringing the integrated communication campaign on reproductive health/family planning services to areas with high birth rates and disadvantaged areas, the 2014 population communication campaign is expected to create many significant changes. Even in the first phase, many localities have actively participated…

Traveling nearly 300 km, we arrived in Nam Can – a particularly difficult mountainous commune in Ky Son district – to attend the launch ceremony of the Integrated Communication Campaign for Reproductive Health/Family Planning Services. The atmosphere of the launch ceremony was lively from the very beginning with a spectacular cultural performance by young Mong men and women. Sharing in the joy with the local people, Mr. Lau Ba Thai – Vice Chairman of the People's Committee and Head of the Population Steering Committee of Nam Can commune – said: “I am very happy that the Population Campaign has chosen Nam Can commune as the launching point. This is an opportunity for us to exchange and learn from the experiences of other districts and contribute to creating more favorable conditions for us in the process of disseminating information and mobilizing people to practice reproductive health/family planning in the future.”

Residents of Que Phong district respond to the integrated communication campaign providing reproductive health/family planning services. Photo: Thanh Hung.

Nam Can is a border commune where 80% of households are poor, and nearly 90% of the population are Mong people. A significant proportion of the population consists of women of childbearing age, posing a potential risk of population growth. Furthermore, due to limited awareness among ethnic minorities regarding population and reproductive health/family planning, the custom of having many children, and the deeply ingrained belief that "God provides for everything," outreach and education efforts are extremely difficult. People are not accustomed to using family planning services, and many are hesitant to visit healthcare facilities for reproductive health check-ups. For these reasons, in this year's campaign, alongside the launch ceremony, the Nam Can Commune People's Committee also organized reproductive health check-ups and provided family planning services. Ms. Xong Y Tru, a population officer in the commune, was very happy because "previously, it was very difficult to persuade Mong women to work in service industries, but now, with officials from the district and province coming up to persuade and encourage them, everyone is responding in large numbers. We hope that through this first phase, we will achieve 2/3 of the criteria for the 2014 campaign."

Ky Son is the third and final cluster to hold the launch ceremony for the campaign as planned by the province this year. Prior to this, the launch ceremony in Cluster 1 (lowland districts) was also held enthusiastically in An Hoa commune, Quynh Luu district, and in Cluster 2 (districts along Highway 48) in Chau Kim commune, Que Phong district. Implementing the campaign in clusters demonstrates a new approach, aiming to secure the participation of all levels and sectors; simultaneously, creating consensus among units within the cluster and encouraging active participation from all segments of the population in particularly difficult areas and areas with high birth rates. The launch ceremony also serves as the opening activity for organizing and implementing the campaign in districts and communes, contributing to strengthening propaganda and mobilization efforts to encourage people to effectively carry out reproductive health care/family planning.

According to the plan, the 2014 campaign will be implemented in 101 particularly disadvantaged communes, divided into two phases: phase 1 ending before April 30th and phase 2 ending before October 30th. In each commune, the campaign will be organized for approximately 7-8 days, including activities such as propaganda, counseling, mobilization of target groups, and provision of services at the commune level. It is expected that by the end of the campaign, at least 80% of couples of reproductive age, adolescents, and young people in the campaign area will have received counseling and information on reproductive health/family planning and population services. Currently in Que Phong district, according to the plan, phase 1 will involve the simultaneous implementation of the campaign in 12 out of 14 communes, and two communes, Chau Kim and Tien Phong, have already completed it. During the first phase, despite some difficulties such as the untimely distribution of some equipment and delayed funding, according to Ms. Lo Thi Tam, Deputy Director of the Population and Family Planning Center of Que Phong district: "The results are quite positive. 52 people have had intrauterine devices inserted, and 175 people are using long-term contraceptive methods such as implants, injections, or oral contraceptives. 60 out of 80 women found to have genital tract infections have received treatment."

This year's population campaign was organized under conditions where nearly half of the communes and localities had their funding cut compared to 2013. It is noteworthy that, over the years of implementation, people have begun to become more aware of preventing reproductive health problems and the need to apply family planning methods. Therefore, regardless of whether they receive financial support or not, they are still willing to participate and wait for the campaign's launch day to have the opportunity to receive health check-ups. This was easily seen at the Nghi Thuy Ward Health Station (Cua Lo Town) on the first day of the campaign. According to the plan, services were supposed to start after the launch ceremony, but before 7 am, women crowded the hall to register for check-ups and consultations, including many women over 60 years old, and in some cases, mothers and daughters-in-law registered together. Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, from Block 4, Nghi Thuy Ward, shared: "All the women in Block 4 are market vendors. I myself bring fish to Nam Dan market every day to sell. Today, missing a market day might cost each of us 200,000 - 300,000 VND, but we all decided to skip the market to go for a check-up. Money is important, but health is more precious. It only happens once a year, so we have to take advantage of this opportunity to get checked out."

This year, Cua Lo Town was not included in the list of areas receiving funding for the campaign, but recognizing population control as a key priority, especially given the current high birth rates in many disadvantaged areas (including Catholic and coastal regions), the launch ceremony was organized with great fanfare. Simultaneously, the town invested heavily in communication activities such as organizing a "Model Family" exchange in Nghi Tan ward; communicating health services to farmer groups; and engaging with youth and teenagers on the theme "My Puberty" and holding a "Coastal Men's Group" exchange program. Notably, in addition to financial support from the Town People's Committee, all seven communes and wards allocated their own budgets to support the campaign. Furthermore, the communes and wards flexibly introduced new services to meet the health check-up needs of the people.

The approach and responsible involvement of Cua Lo Town serve as a valuable lesson for other localities, especially given the shrinking funding and support projects under the national target program. Furthermore, the Provincial People's Committee has issued Document No. 1542/UBND-VX, requesting relevant departments and agencies, particularly the Population and Family Planning Sub-department, general hospitals and health centers, and commune/ward health stations, to strengthen coordination and prepare the necessary equipment, medical supplies, essential medicines, and contraceptives to ensure timely provision to the people. Mobile service teams should be established to reach remote and inaccessible areas. Furthermore, to ensure the success of the 2014 integrated communication and advocacy campaign on reproductive health/family planning services, the province also requested districts, cities, and towns to allocate funds from their local budgets to expand the campaign's implementation area, especially in areas with high birth rates and high rates of third or subsequent births, and where providing reproductive health/family planning services is difficult.

My Ha - Hoang Lan