Materia Medica Malaysiana

Panel formed to promote reproductive healthcare

NEW YORK: Malaysia has taken several initiatives to ensure family planning services are provided under a broader package of reproductive health, the United Nations Commission on Population and Development was told.

Malaysia’s representative to the 37th session of the commission, Fatimah Saad, told the gathering that a co-ordinating committee on reproductive health had been formed to look into policies, strategies and ways of integrating other reproductive health components into the primary health care system and into family planning programmes.

Fatimah said for greater understanding of the concept, scope and operation of reproductive health, training updates had been intensified and standard operating procedures for model reproductive health clinics developed.

There were also efforts to promote greater participation of males in reproductive health and household responsibilities.

An educational module on fatherhood had been developed and implemented.

“Emphasis is now on high risk as well as adolescent reproductive health (ARH) and high parity mothers including those living in poverty,” she said.

Some elements of ARH had been incorporated into the school curriculum to address adolescents’ sexuality issues, while at the same time educational and training programmes were being conducted for adolescents with the aim of instilling greater resilience, positive values and promoting healthy lifestyles.

A technical working group of sexuality education was also incorporated into the National Social Policy last year.

Fatimah also spoke on the great strides made by Malaysian women in all areas of development, stating that 58.8% of undergraduates were females, resulting in almost half the working population being women.

“The female labour force increased from 41.9% in 1991 to 46.7% in 2002,” she said.