Body of former and present Parliamentarians draws govt attention to spectre of ‘baby boom’

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 22

A voluntary body of former and sitting Members of Parliament, christened “Indian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development” (IAPPD), has drawn the Union Government’s attention on keeping the focus on ensuring accessible services to its basic health and care programmes along with the fight against COVID-19.

On the IAPPD’s list of priorities is on-service for the Reproductive Child Health (RCH) and the Family Planning (FP) programme, which have allegedly fallen off the map in the din of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Negligence on the RCH and the FP will be at India’s detriment, especially in the midst of studies raising the spectre of jack-up in the birth of babies by the end of this year.

Also, it has been found in India and abroad that the aged persons were the most susceptible to COVID-19 and, hence, they merit unalloyed care and attention.

In a letter to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, IAPPD chairman and Rajya Sabha’s former vice-chairman PJ Kurien, while endorsing the successful push-back against COVID-19, flagged the need for keeping up the vigil on the RCH and the FP programme.

Medication needs of TB patients and traditional diseases, including cancer, should also be in the government’s health care calculus.

“It is unfortunate that our RCH and Family Programme services have been receiving less than the desired emphasis during the lockdown period,” Kurien said, referring to reports of several pregnant women having missed their ante-natal and post-natal check-ups. Also, children missed on their immunisation and other services, Kurien said.

“Similarly, though India is at the cusp of achieving the targets of the TFR, wherein we are about to achieve the two-child family norm, yet international media quoting a UN report has predicted a possible ‘baby boom’ towards the end of this year…” Kurien said in the letter, adding this was attributed as a side-effect of the total lockdown due to the pandemic.

“Unfortunately, this is all due to inaccessible RCH/FP services which many couples needed but could not receive during this period,” Kurien said.

On behalf of the IAPPD, Kurien has also written letters to Parliamentarians to pay attention to these issues.