CONTRACEPTIVE FOR INDIAN WOMEN

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30802, 14 July 1965, Page 15

CONTRACEPTIVE FOR INDIAN WOMEN

(N Z. Pre»» Ann.—Copyright! NEW DELHI, July 12. India today launched a campaign to insert plastic intrauterine contraceptive loops in one million women within the next year.

India’s Health Minister, Dr. Sushila Nayar, said that this week the “Lippes loop” or in-tra-uterine contraceptive device, would be available in about 5000 clinics and hospitals throughout the country She was addressing a press conference on the eve of “reinforced family planning week,” a massive attempt to popularise the “loop." India will also step up an intensive educational programme to promote birth control.

Dr. Nayar said the loop provides “fullest freedom to regulate the size of a family, to time conception and space out children.”

Some 600,000 loops already have been distributed free in hospitals. By this autumn, Dr. Nayar said, the country's own factory was expected to go into production at Kanpur with a capacity of about 15,000 loops daily

Thia should meet the country's need for at least the next two years.

Family planning officials hope to insert two million

loops in 1966-67 and five million a year after that. Dr. Nayar expressed confidence that the loop programme, plus the continuing sterilisation programme and the use of other contraceptive devices could achieve India’s immediate goal: reduction of the annua! birth-rate from the present 40 per 1000 population to 25 per 7000 within 10 years.

India's present population is 485 million and is increasing by about 12 million each year.