Family Planning in Asia and the Pacific - International Council on ...

Family Planning in Asia and the Pacific - International Council on ... Family Planning in Asia and the Pacific - International Council on ...

site.icomp.org.my
from site.icomp.org.my More from this publisher
30.07.2015 Views

244

FigureThe begong>inong>nong>inong>g of ong>theong> Nationalong>Familyong> ong>Plannong>inong>gong> ProgrammePrior to 1966, family plannong>inong>g services ong>inong> Malaysia wereprovided by ong>theong> various state ong>Familyong> ong>Plannong>inong>gong> Associations,ong>andong> ong>theong> services were confong>inong>ed largely to major urbancentres. Fong>inong>dong>inong>gs from ong>theong> 1966 West Malaysia ong>Familyong>Survey conducted ong>inong> Penong>inong>sular Malaysia reported acontraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) of merely 8.8 percent.With ong>theong> launchong>inong>g of ong>theong> National ong>Familyong> ong>Plannong>inong>gong>Programme ong>inong> conjunction with ong>theong> First Malaysia Planong>inong> 1966, family plannong>inong>g became an official policy. Theprogramme was aimed at improvong>inong>g maternal ong>andong> childhealth ong>andong> deceleratong>inong>g ong>theong> rate of annual populationgrowth from 3 per cent ong>inong> 1966 to 2 per cent ong>inong> 1985 bysettong>inong>g targets to ong>inong>crease ong>theong> number of family plannong>inong>gacceptors (Noor Laily et al., 1982). The National ong>Familyong>ong>Plannong>inong>gong> Board was established ong>inong> order to plan, executeong>andong> coordong>inong>ate all family plannong>inong>g activities ong>inong> ong>theong>country. The programme began with ong>theong> provision ofclong>inong>ical contraceptive services maong>inong>ly ong>inong> ong>theong> urban areas.Subsequently, ong>theong> programme was expong>andong>ed to ong>theong> ruralareas of ong>theong> country through ong>theong> ong>inong>tegration of familyplannong>inong>g with primary health-care services of ong>theong> Mong>inong>istryof Health ong>inong> ong>theong> early 1970s.CPR ong>inong>creased substantially from 8 per cent ong>inong> 1966 to 36per cent ong>inong> 1974 ong>andong> furong>theong>r to 52 per cent ong>inong> 1984, buthas levelled off song>inong>ce ong>theong>n. Despite ong>theong> stagnation ong>inong> CPR,fertility has contong>inong>ued to declong>inong>e towards ong>theong> replacementlevel. Risong>inong>g age at marriage ong>andong> ong>inong>creased contraceptiveuse have been ong>theong> maong>inong> contributory factors to fertilitydeclong>inong>e.FigureEvolution of family plannong>inong>gpolicyIn reviewong>inong>g ong>theong> population policy ong>inong> 1984, ong>theong> governmentcalled for a major shift from “family plannong>inong>g” to “familyong>andong> human resources development”, ong>andong> for achievong>inong>g anultimate population size of 70 million by 2100. Underong>theong> New Population Policy, ong>theong> National ong>Familyong> ong>Plannong>inong>gong>Board was renamed ong>theong> National Population ong>andong>ong>Familyong> Development Board (NPFDB), ong>andong> ong>inong> 1989 wasplaced under ong>theong> Mong>inong>istry of National Unity ong>andong> SocialDevelopment. After ong>theong> dissolution of that Mong>inong>istryfollowong>inong>g ong>theong> 2001 general election, NPFDB was placedunder ong>theong> newly created Mong>inong>istry of Women, ong>Familyong> ong>andong>Community Development.In ong>theong> early stages of ong>theong> national programme, ong>inong>formation,education ong>andong> communication (IEC) activities played animportant role ong>inong> ong>inong>creasong>inong>g family plannong>inong>g acceptance.However, song>inong>ce ong>theong> promulgation of ong>theong> new populationpolicy ong>andong> ong>theong> change ong>inong> ong>theong> programme thrust ong>inong> 1984from family plannong>inong>g to family development, familyplannong>inong>g per se has been de-emphasized ong>andong> IEC activitieswere discontong>inong>ued (Tey, 2007).As ong>theong> fertility rate began approachong>inong>g ong>theong> replacementlevel, ong>theong> government’s view on fertility changed from“too high” ong>inong> 1996 to “satisfactory” ong>inong> 2007. The policyon fertility has song>inong>ce been revised from one that soughtto lower fertility to a policy with no ong>inong>tervention butwith emphasis on raisong>inong>g ong>theong> quality of ong>theong> populationthrough education ong>andong> human resources development. Inrecognizong>inong>g ong>theong> importance of ong>theong> family as a social ong>andong>production unit, ong>theong> family’s vital role ong>inong> nurturong>inong>g futuregenerations ong>andong> ong>inong> carong>inong>g for older people, steps were takento start developong>inong>g a national family policy that would gobeyond ong>theong> national population policy.1Contraceptive prevalence rate for any method ong>andong> modern methods ong>inong> Penong>inong>sular Malaysia60.052.254.851.950.040.030.036.026.330.330.234.420.010.00.01974 1984 1994 2004Any MethodModernSource: National Population ong>andong> ong>Familyong> Development Board (NPFDB); Malaysian Population ong>andong> ong>Familyong> Surveys ong>inong> 1974, 1984,1994 ong>andong> 2004.245

244

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!