Reproductive health problems remain the leading cause
of death and disease in the people of reproductive age, worldwide. In India
maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate are high. Spread of Sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) is still a major problem. Approximately 2 million
people in India live with HIV/AIDS.
Everyone has the right to enjoy reproductive health
and healthy children. India is among the first countries in the world to
initiate action plans and programmes at the national level to attain total
reproductive health as a social goal. These programmes called as Family
Planning Programmes were initiated as far back as in 1951. Improved programmes
covering wider reproduction-related areas are currently in operation under the
popular name Reproductive and Child Healthcare (RCH) Programmes. Programmes such as
massive child immunization, supply of nutritional food to the pregnant women,
Janani Suraksha Yojana (for promoting institutionalized deliveries) etc. are
some important healthcare programmes taken up at national level by the
Government. Creating awareness among the people on various reproduction-related
aspects and providing facilities and support for building up a reproductively
healthy society are the major tasks under these programmes.
Governmental and non-governmental agencies have taken
various steps to educate people on reproduction-related issues using
audio-visual and print media. Introduction of sex education in schools will
provide right information to the young on sex and other related issues. Proper
information about the adolescence ,reproductive organs and related changes and safe
and hygienic sexual practices and sexually transmitted diseases such as
HIV/AIDS, etc. would help people, especially those in the adolescent age group
to lead a reproductively healthy life. People, especially fertile couples and
those in marriageable age group, should be well informed about available birth
control options, care of pregnant mothers, post natal (after birth) care of the
mother and new born child, importance of breast feeding, giving equal
preference for male and female child etc. This will help in bringing up healthy
families of desired size. Awareness should be created in the society on
problems caused by uncontrolled population growth and social evils like sex
abuse and sex related crimes etc.
Female Foeticide - A Burning
Problem In India: Female foeticide (the
act of aborting a female foetus) is a major social problem in India. Sex
determination of the foetus first became possible in India with the advent
of amniocentesis
in 1970s.
This technology intended to detect genetic
abnormalities in foetuses, was often used to determine the sex of the
foetus. As early as in 1976 the Government banned the use of these
tests for the purpose of sex determination of the foetus. Later in 1987
3D ultra
sound scanning technique was invented for detecting
developmental abnormalities in foetuses. Misuse of ultrasound scanning
for the sex determination of foetus became very common which
significantly increased the number of female foeticides in the country.
As a measure to legally check increasing female foeticides, the
indian Government put into practice Pre-natal Diagnostic
Techniques
(Regulation and prevention of misuse) by the Act, 1994 with stringent
punishment rules._____________________________________________________
ACTION PLANS: Successful implementation of various action plans to attain reproductive health
requires strong infrastructural facilities, professional expertise and the
material support and These are essential to provide medical assistance and care
to people in reproduction-related problems namely pregnancy, delivery, STDs,
abortions, menstrual problems, contraception, infertility, etc.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
(STDs)
Diseases or infections which are transmitted through
sexual contact (intercourse) are collectively called sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs)
or
venereal diseases (VDs) or reproductive tract infections (RTI). Most common STDs and their causative organisms are
shown in the table below.
|
S.No
|
Name
of the Disease
|
Causative
organism
|
|
1
|
Gonorrhea
|
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (bacteria)
|
|
2
|
Syphilis
|
Treponema pallidum (spirochete bacterium)
|
|
3
|
Genital herpes
|
Herpes simplex virus (HSV)
|
|
4
|
Genital warts, cervical
cancer
|
Human papilloma virus (HPV)
|
|
5
|
Trichomoniasis
|
Trichomonas vaginalis (a protozoan parasite )
|
|
6
|
Chlamydiasis
|
Chlamydia trachomatis (bacteria)
|
|
7
|
Hepatitis — B
|
HBV
|
|
8
|
HIV infection/AIDS
|
HIV (Human immunodeficiency
virus)
|
