World Population Day and a Renewed Focus on Family Health

India is home to one third of all humanity, outranked solely by China, with a surmountable margin 

of just 50 million. Our country in comparison also serves as home to a billion plus denizens, in an area which is roughly three times smaller than China. Being a far more densely populated nation, India has had to confront various overpopulation-related detriments like slanted access to healthcare, inequitable wealth distribution and discriminatory allocation of resources. 

The effects of overpopulation put strain on the economy and civil delivery systems, thereby affecting demographics themselves. Integral issues like reproductive health, family planning and mental well-being end up neglected. 

Having foreseen these lacunas, the Indian government in 1952 made a conscious effort to instill the concept of family-planning among the masses. The idea of smaller, and hence more manageable families, was disseminated through the ‘Hum Do, Hamare Do’ campaign. This social messaging outreach helped drive home the advantage of nuclear families among vast swathes of the country’s populace. Here are some reasons smaller families are more sustainable:

• A smaller family assures well-nourished and healthy members.
  Furthermore, children get more care and attention from their parents.
• Mothers with one or two offspring undergo less strain, compared to those with more children.This allows them  to pay more attention to themselves and the well-being of their children.
• Smaller families tend to have a more balanced share of parental responsibility.
• Women who have fewer children also tend to have greater decision making in the household.

With all these factors at play, boosting women’s agency and physical & mental well-being in the context of raising smaller families becomes ever more important. Realizing the importance of the same, this World Population Day, the United Nations Development Program has come up with a theme stressing the importance of safeguarding the health and rights of women and girls. The effects of overpopulation on the country’s civil delivery systems, especially healthcare, are immense. 

Poor reproductive health, owing to overburdened healthcare, is also an issue worth shining the light on. Maternal health is among the top reasons for the deaths of a large number of pregnant women during childbirth. Research shows that nearly 800 pregnant women globally lose their lives due to preventable causes during childbirth. Common reasons that lead to loss of lives include pregnancy complications or maternal injuries like excessive blood loss, high blood pressure or infection. Others being unsafe abortions or obstructed labour. Often, indirect complications like anemia, heart ailments or malaria can lead to maternal deaths.

The strain is now further compounded by the Coronavirus pandemic. Thus, with limited physical access to healthcare, it is the delivery systems themselves that need to adapt. Online healthcare platforms  like 1Tab are easing this load by prioritizing on a healthier India and giving communities greater access to a wide range of healthcare essentials. Download the 1Tab App to browse through a slew of childcare, maternal care, contraceptives and wellness products to stay healthy and plan better.