Involvement of Community Leaders in Addressing Unmet Need for Family Planning in Rural Coastal Odisha

Abstract

Addressing unmet need for family planning is one of the major immediate objectives of India’s Population Policy, 2000 (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), National Population Policy, 2000. New Delhi: Department of Family Welfare, Ministry Health and Family Welfare, Government of India). The policy also advocates the involvement of elected leaders of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in addressing unmet need for family planning. Besides, the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) also highlights the importance of PRIs and other community leaders in addressing family planning services. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, also guarantees panchayats to take responsibility of health and family welfare. To know the actual involvement of community leaders in addressing unmet need for family planning, the field survey was carried out in the coastal part of Odisha. With the help of mixed methods, the actual participation of community leaders in family planning is found negligible. The field study including surveys and in-depth interviews of health workers and community leaders reveals that lack of financial allocation for family planning activities in Gaon Kalyan Samiti (GKS), lack of funds for the village health plans, lack of inter-departmental coordination, lack of trust and confidence between the workers and leaders, lack of initiative by the workers to involve leaders and lack of incentives for community leaders are the major reasons for non-participation of community leaders in family planning activities.