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India announces fund for population policy
POLICY AND PEOPLE
India announces fund for population policy
T
he Indian government has announced that it will set up a National Population Stablisation Fund and an “Empowered Action Group” for implementing various components of the National Population Policy announced in February this year (Lancet 2000; 355: 732–34). The government aims to stablise India’s population by 2045. The new measures were announced by the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on July 22 at the first meeting of the National Commission on Population (NCP) set up on May 11 when the Indian population reached 1 billion. The fund—which will begin with a governmental grant will provide a window for channelling monies from corporate and other non-governmental sources. The fund will
specifically aid projects designed to contribute to population stabilisation. The mandate of the Action Group, attached to the Ministry of Health, will be to prepare area-specific programmes focusing on states that have been lagging behind in containing population growth within manageable limits. Besides involving local bodies and voluntary agencies in the effort, the group will explore the possibility of expanding the scope of “social marketing” of contraceptives in a manner that makes them easily accessible. “The success stories of countries like China, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia show that given the political will, backed by adequate popular response, the apparently impossible task of checking population growth can be achieved”,
Vajpayee pointed out. Yet some states like Kerala and Goa have achieved low fertility rates and child mortality. Five states—Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh— constitute nearly 44% of the current total population. They are projected to comprise 48% of total population by 2016. These states, says Vajpayee, should emulate the example of better performing states. “We need to turn population stablisation into a people’s movement”, says Krishna Chandra Pant, NCP deputy chief. Achieving universal access to quality family planning services so that the two-child norm becomes a reality, is on the NCP agenda. Dinesh C Sharma
Bangladeshi government appeals to WHO
News in brief
fever has also hit the cities of angladesh has made an emergency Chittagong, Faridpur and Sylhet”, he appeal to the WHO to help conadded. Despite the enormity of the trol the country’s increase in dengue outbreak, the government insists that fever, which has spread alarmingly in “the situation is the capital city of not so serious and Dhaka during the Rights were not there is no reason past 3 weeks. to be panicked.” Hundreds of peogranted to include this The country ple have been image in electronic has had no infected by the dengue testing mosquito-borne media. Please refer to kits for days, so viral infection, the printed journal. doctors are turnand there have ing away large been at least 12 numbers of susdengue-related pected cases. deaths. Those But no need to panic Before the kit who have died shortage started, 651 of 1523 susinclude a dentist, an orthopaedic surpected cases who had had their blood geon, and a hospital auxiliary—with tested for the dengue virus at various large numbers of patients coming to laboratories at Dhaka were positive. hospitals everyday. “We believe the However, on July 23, enough kits to situation is quite serious … and the enable testing of 1000 patients were mosquito habitation is growing imported from Delhi. But “we need unchecked. The rainy season is on more kits”, says Abdul Basit (Institute already and this is when the mosquito of Epidemiology, Disease Control and (Aedes aegypti) breeds best”, says Research, Dhaka). He also dismissed Nazrul Islam (Bangabandhu Sheikh media reports accusing the laboratory Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, of using date-expired reagent. Bangladesh). The government, he The current outbreak is attributed notes, has already commissioned a to unchecked growth in the urban committee to monitor the situation, population, poor household water and has launched a “kill-mosquito” storage, and inadequate solid-waste campaign, asking WHO to teach its 90 disposal services in Dhaka. The incidoctors how to manage dengue fever. dence of the disease has increased The actual death toll could be far dramatically during the past 2 years in higher than reported. “We did not Dhaka, although dengue fever has receive any data on children [who are been present since the 1950s. more likely to suffer from dengue than adults] and from private clinics”, he argued. As well as Dhaka, “dengue Khabir Ahmad
UK contemplates folic acid The UK government is to consult the public and professionals during the next 3 months about whether wheat flour should be fortified with folic acid. The consultation follows a report by the Committe on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy reported that food fortification could halve the number of babies born with neural tube defects.
B
THE LANCET • Vol 356 • July 29, 2000
West Nile alert in New York New York’s Central Park was closed to the public last week because of the discovery of mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus. An open-air concert was cancelled and officials have ordered mass insecticide spraying. New York Mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, has called on the city to stay calm about the threat of the virus, which killed seven people in the city last year. Plan for UK secure hospitals On July 24, the UK government’s Commons health select committe recommended the closure of England’s three high-security hospitals—Broadmoor, Rampton, and Ashworth. These hospitals should be replaced with eitght smaller regional centres. The committe also criticises the government’s plans to to detain people with serious personality disorders even if they have not committed an offence.
409
For personal use only. Not to be reproduced without permission of The Lancet.
India announces fund for population policy
T
he Indian government has announced that it will set up a National Population Stablisation Fund and an “Empowered Action Group” for implementing various components of the National Population Policy announced in February this year (Lancet 2000; 355: 732–34). The government aims to stablise India’s population by 2045. The new measures were announced by the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on July 22 at the first meeting of the National Commission on Population (NCP) set up on May 11 when the Indian population reached 1 billion. The fund—which will begin with a governmental grant will provide a window for channelling monies from corporate and other non-governmental sources. The fund will
specifically aid projects designed to contribute to population stabilisation. The mandate of the Action Group, attached to the Ministry of Health, will be to prepare area-specific programmes focusing on states that have been lagging behind in containing population growth within manageable limits. Besides involving local bodies and voluntary agencies in the effort, the group will explore the possibility of expanding the scope of “social marketing” of contraceptives in a manner that makes them easily accessible. “The success stories of countries like China, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia show that given the political will, backed by adequate popular response, the apparently impossible task of checking population growth can be achieved”,
Vajpayee pointed out. Yet some states like Kerala and Goa have achieved low fertility rates and child mortality. Five states—Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh— constitute nearly 44% of the current total population. They are projected to comprise 48% of total population by 2016. These states, says Vajpayee, should emulate the example of better performing states. “We need to turn population stablisation into a people’s movement”, says Krishna Chandra Pant, NCP deputy chief. Achieving universal access to quality family planning services so that the two-child norm becomes a reality, is on the NCP agenda. Dinesh C Sharma
Bangladeshi government appeals to WHO
News in brief
fever has also hit the cities of angladesh has made an emergency Chittagong, Faridpur and Sylhet”, he appeal to the WHO to help conadded. Despite the enormity of the trol the country’s increase in dengue outbreak, the government insists that fever, which has spread alarmingly in “the situation is the capital city of not so serious and Dhaka during the Rights were not there is no reason past 3 weeks. to be panicked.” Hundreds of peogranted to include this The country ple have been image in electronic has had no infected by the dengue testing mosquito-borne media. Please refer to kits for days, so viral infection, the printed journal. doctors are turnand there have ing away large been at least 12 numbers of susdengue-related pected cases. deaths. Those But no need to panic Before the kit who have died shortage started, 651 of 1523 susinclude a dentist, an orthopaedic surpected cases who had had their blood geon, and a hospital auxiliary—with tested for the dengue virus at various large numbers of patients coming to laboratories at Dhaka were positive. hospitals everyday. “We believe the However, on July 23, enough kits to situation is quite serious … and the enable testing of 1000 patients were mosquito habitation is growing imported from Delhi. But “we need unchecked. The rainy season is on more kits”, says Abdul Basit (Institute already and this is when the mosquito of Epidemiology, Disease Control and (Aedes aegypti) breeds best”, says Research, Dhaka). He also dismissed Nazrul Islam (Bangabandhu Sheikh media reports accusing the laboratory Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, of using date-expired reagent. Bangladesh). The government, he The current outbreak is attributed notes, has already commissioned a to unchecked growth in the urban committee to monitor the situation, population, poor household water and has launched a “kill-mosquito” storage, and inadequate solid-waste campaign, asking WHO to teach its 90 disposal services in Dhaka. The incidoctors how to manage dengue fever. dence of the disease has increased The actual death toll could be far dramatically during the past 2 years in higher than reported. “We did not Dhaka, although dengue fever has receive any data on children [who are been present since the 1950s. more likely to suffer from dengue than adults] and from private clinics”, he argued. As well as Dhaka, “dengue Khabir Ahmad
UK contemplates folic acid The UK government is to consult the public and professionals during the next 3 months about whether wheat flour should be fortified with folic acid. The consultation follows a report by the Committe on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy reported that food fortification could halve the number of babies born with neural tube defects.
B
THE LANCET • Vol 356 • July 29, 2000
West Nile alert in New York New York’s Central Park was closed to the public last week because of the discovery of mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus. An open-air concert was cancelled and officials have ordered mass insecticide spraying. New York Mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, has called on the city to stay calm about the threat of the virus, which killed seven people in the city last year. Plan for UK secure hospitals On July 24, the UK government’s Commons health select committe recommended the closure of England’s three high-security hospitals—Broadmoor, Rampton, and Ashworth. These hospitals should be replaced with eitght smaller regional centres. The committe also criticises the government’s plans to to detain people with serious personality disorders even if they have not committed an offence.
409
For personal use only. Not to be reproduced without permission of The Lancet.