Female sterilization is one of the common forms of family planning in India. The Family Planning Programme in India is voluntary in nature and the Government promotes all family planning choices including female sterilization equally. It is the prerogative of the clients to choose a family planning method as per their reproductive rights and Government provides the services free of cost in all public health and accredited private/ NGO facilities as per the demand.

India does not lead the world in the sterilization of women. The share of sterilization for various countries with similar demographics is given below:

 

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate for Sterilization in various countries

 

* Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Trends in Contraceptive Use Worldwide 2015

 

Health is a state subject and various states are in different stages of development in terms of infrastructure. However quality in sterilization services is a dynamic process with new technologies and protocols for infection prevention being incorporated from time to time to improve service quality.

 

Hon’ble Supreme Court too has stressed the need to strengthen the Primary Health Centers in a time bound manner for this purpose in its recent judgement in October 2016.

 

The Government has accordingly issued detailed guidelines with respect to preoperative measures and post-operative follow-ups, also incorporating the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, to all States/UTs for taking strategic actions in this regard.

 

The steps taken by the Government among others include:

·         Updation of guidelines on standards and quality assurance in sterilization services.

 

·         Dissemination of the standards to all States/UTs of India through workshops conducted in the states for all stakeholders including program managers and service providers.

 

·         Establishment and strengthening of State and District Quality Assurance committees for monitoring quality of sterilization services.

 

·         Meetings from time to time with health secretaries of States/UTs on action taken report for maintaining quality in family planning services.

 

·         Regular supportive supervision visits and tracking through Health Management Information System.

 

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Smt Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

 

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MV/LK

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