Nghe An deploys population communication campaign towards expanding target audience and diversifying types

Increase access to services

At the age of 18, Luong Thi Cheng (Na Nhu village, Ta Ca commune, Ky Son district) is already the mother of a 4-month-old child. Having dropped out of school and married early, before reaching adulthood, Cheng, like many women in the area, does not have much knowledge about reproductive health care. Even now, although she has given birth for 4 months, Cheng does not use contraception and the risk of unwanted pregnancy can happen at any time.

At the point of servicefamily planning, this very young mother seemed confused when the delegation of the Department of Population - Ministry of Health asked her some questions about reproductive health care/family planning. To her, this seemed to be a completely new thing that if she had not participated in the program, she would not have known, understood and would not have been aware of caring for and protecting it.

The family planning service point is one of the contents of the Communication Campaign on reproductive health care/family planning organized by the Department of Population - Family Planning in Ky Son district. Most of the women attending this program are of childbearing age and they are consulted, examined, checked their health, and given free medicine. In addition, they also directly listen to doctors and experts from the Department of Population and the Department of Population - Family Planning of the province to resolve many problems in reproductive health issues.

Mr. Mua Ba Ly - population officer of Ta Ca commune, Ky Son district said: "In a difficult area like ours, the attention of the population sector and bringing services to the commune is really practical. When hearing about this program, people were very happy and responded to participate, the number was larger than expected."

Along with Ky Son district, Anh Son is one of the localities that has early implemented the Integrated Communication Campaign to provide reproductive health care/family planning services and improve population quality. Thanks to that, by mid-March, the District Health Center had implemented the campaign in 9/21 communes with the participation of nearly 3,000 women. In the first phase, the campaign focused on activities such as communicating in the community about improving population quality; examining and consulting on reproductive health care, providing medicine to treat gynecological infections for women of childbearing age; monitoring campaign activities in the implementing communes...

Mr. Ho Sy Luc - Head of Population Department, Anh Son District Health Center said: "The integrated communication campaign to provide reproductive health care services is a practical activity to raise awareness of Party committees, authorities and the whole society about the reproductive health care/family planning program and improve population quality in the new situation.

This year, the campaign was launched early with many activities aimed at creating conditions for people in remote, isolated and disadvantaged areas to access and use effective, safe and convenient services.

Creating momentum to improve population quality

Providing reproductive health care/family planning services plays a very important role in population and development work. Because, if the service provision is done well, it will solve the basic problems of population work, in which it is worth noting to be more proactive in family planning, to implement the small family model; at the same time, it contributes to improving the quality of the population - the key factor, the focus of current population work.

Communication campaign on reproductive health care/family planninghas become an annual activity of the province's population sector for many years and is considered a starting point for the sector's activities during the year. This year, the campaign is even more meaningful when it is held in Ky Son district - the most remote and difficult district of Nghe An province.

In addition to the meaning of communication and propaganda about the benefits of having fewer children, focusing on reducing birth rates, reducing the rate of giving birth to the third child or more, reducing unwanted pregnancies, reducing abortions, improving maternal and child health, contributing to improving population quality and sustainable development, implementing the campaign with diversified forms of service provision suitable for remote areas, disadvantaged areas, densely populated areas with high birth rates, coastal areas, industrial zones, etc. helps people access many practical services.

Ms. Vi Thi Quyen - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ky Son district said: "Compared to many other localities in the whole province, the population work of our district still faces many difficulties and challenges when the current gender imbalance rate at birth is still high at 120 males/100 females; the birth rate of the third child or more tends to increase again with 28% in 2023 (an increase of 1.12% compared to 2021); the situation of early marriage and incestuous marriage still exists.

Therefore, right after the campaign launch ceremony, we will continue to urge local Party committees, authorities, departments, branches and organizations at all levels to pay more attention to population work, from propaganda work on the Party and State's policies to investing resources for population work in the whole district. In addition, on the basis of the 2024 campaign plan, the district will develop a specific plan to assign tasks to relevant departments, branches and organizations. At the same time, establish a Steering Committee to organize and implement the campaign in accordance with the conditions of each locality to achieve the best results.

According to the plan, this year's campaign will be organized in all communes, wards and towns across the province and divided into 2 phases, ending before November 30, 2024.

Preparing for this year's campaign, Ms. Tran Thi Luong - Head of Population Communication Department, Dien Chau District Health Center said: "We identify the population campaign as an important activity of the year and will be deployed in 37/37 communes and towns in the district. However, compared to many other localities, the implementation of the campaign in Dien Chau will have its own characteristics because over many years, the organization of people in the district has considered visiting, examining, and checking health as an annual activity that needs to be focused on.

Therefore, in parallel with the implementation at commune health stations, we pay more attention to propaganda and mobilization work, helping to raise people's awareness in health care issues and implementing policies on population and family planning."

Assessing the campaign implementation, Mr. Nguyen Huu Le - Deputy Director of the Department of Health affirmed that in recent years, the population sector and related departments and sectors have been proactive in comprehensively implementing contents in line with the population and development orientation, focusing on improving population quality, implementing activities of screening for congenital diseases, prenatal and newborn screening. Population work has paid attention to responding to challenges in population structure such as gender imbalance at birth, population aging, etc.

From these premises, to complete the goals set out by the campaign, the leaders of the Department of Health suggested that localities need to strengthen the effective organization of propaganda and mobilization activities, diversify the content and forms suitable for target groups, mobilize the entire political system to participate, creating a widespread and effective spread among the masses.

Based on the provincial campaign plan, localities and units establish a campaign steering committee, develop plans and organize the implementation of the campaign in accordance with the conditions of each locality and need to expand the target audience in the campaign. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the depth, quality and practical effectiveness in service provision, in order to meet the increasing demand for voluntary reproductive health care.