Rch & family welfare program

Rch & family welfare program

1. RCH AND FAMILY WELFARE PROGRAM

2. NATIONAL FAMILY WELFARE PROGRAMME India launched a nation-wide family planning programme in 1952, making it the first country in the world to do so, though records show that birth control clinics have been functioning in the country since 1930. The early beginnings of the programme were modest with the establishment of a few clinics and distribution of educational material , training and research. During the Third Five Year Plan ( 1961-66), family planning was declared as "the very centre of planned development". The emphasis was shifted from the purely "clinic approach" to the more vigorous "extension education approach" for motivating the people for acceptance of the "small family norm". The introduction of the Lippes Loop in 1965 necessitated a major structural reorganization of the programme, leading to the creation of a separate Department of Family Planning in 1966 in the Ministry of Health. During the years 1966-1969, the programme took firmer roots. The family planning infrastructure (e.g., primary health centres, sub-centres, urban family planning centres, district and State bureaus) was strengthened.

3. During the Fourth Five Year Plan { 1969-74 ), the Government of India gave "top priority" to the programme . The Programme was made an integral part of MCH activities of PHCs and their sub-centres. In 1970, an All India Hospital Postpartum Programme and in 1972, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act were introduced. During the Fifth Five Year Plan (1975-80) there have been major changes. In April 1976, the country framed its first "National Population Policy". The disastrous forcible sterilization campaign of 1976 led to the Congress defeat in the 1977 election. In June 1977, the new ( Janata)Government that came into power formulated a new population policy, ruling out compulsion and coercion for all times to ·come. The Ministry of Family Planning was renamed "Family Welfare".