Call Centers In India Provide Reproductive Health Information To Anonymous Callers

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 06 Jan 2009 - 3:00 PST

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India's National Population Stabilization Fund has opened a call center to provide reliable information to anonymous callers about reproductive health, family planning or contraception, the Washington Post reports. The call center, which began operating in June, is the first of its kind in the country, where issues such as reproductive health and contraception are socially taboo subjects, the Post reports. Between May and October, call center agents answered more than 25,000 calls that were predominantly questions about contraceptive methods.

Shailaja Chandra, executive director of the National Population Stabilization Fund, said, "The call center fills a critical information gap that exists in Indian society about these issues. This is the first line of call for many young men and women who would otherwise end up going to street corner quacks, use inappropriate contraception methods or not use any." Many callers live in rural areas that are underserved by health care and social workers. Chandra said that the organization is applying for a toll-free phone number and additional funding to advertise at train stations, on the radio and other places, adding, "More rural women would call" if the service was available to them at no cost.

India's government-sponsored National Population Stabilization Fund seeks to limit the country's population growth to sustainable levels through contraception, as well as reproductive and child health care, the Post reports. India's birth rate is 24 million infants annually, and officials estimate that it could take 18 to 45 years for some Indian states to achieve a stabilizing fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman. Of the 188 million couples in the country who are of reproductive age, 53% use contraception (Lakshmi, Washington Post, 1/5).

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