LPPKN provides 1,000 free contraceptive quotas for B40 women

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 1,000 free contraceptive quotas have been provided for eligible women from the B40 and high-risk groups in an effort to promote family planning practices in the country.

National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) chairman Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said it was part of the LPPKN's 2023 Family Planning Month campaign, which offers various contraceptive methods such as pills, condoms, long-term methods including intrauterine devices and hormonal implants.

"Through this campaign, we are offering contraceptives from Sept 4 to 29 at all 49 LPPKN Nur Sejahtera Clinics nationwide... (those intrested in getting this service) can come to this clinic to get a consultation on the appropriate contraceptive method," she told a press conference after the Family Planning Advocacy Forum in conjunction with World Contraceptive Day 2023 here today.

Rohani said that the campaign also received support from a non-governmental organisation, Rise Against Hunger, which funded the installation of long-term contraceptives, such as intrauterine devices and hormonal implants for 30 high-risk women from the B40 group.

The LPPKN's 2023 Family Planning Month campaign, with the theme "Choose With Confidence" seeks to promote a higher-quality family formation agenda that addresses women's physical and mental health, their readiness to conceive safely, and safeguarding their children's health and family well-being.

Rohani said that according to the 5th Malaysian Population and Family Survey (KPKM-5) conducted in 2014, one in five married women do not use any family planning method, despite not intending to become pregnant, which is the highest percentage rate in Asia, at 19.6 per cent.

"The same survey also revealed that 89.3 per cent of women of reproductive age made their own contraceptive decisions. This shows that Malaysian women are able to make the best decisions for their reproductive health," she said.

Meanwhile, Rohani hoped that the government would consider increasing allocations for agencies that play a role in population and family development in order to expand the implementation of services and programmes offered by the agencies.

"Sometimes (the implementation of such programmes) is only carried out in major cities due to limited (allocation), but the (groups) that are actually in need of our services are largely in rural areas.

"...for example, cervical cancer screening, if we can do more, we can help more women get screened to prevent the disease," she said.

-- BERNAMA