UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES

World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. World Population Day was first highlighted when the world reached Five Billion People in 1987.

The theme for this year “Universal Access to Reproductive Health Services “has been chosen to re-energise commitments towards universal reproductive health and recognize those who provide information , services and supplies.This year the five priority aspects of reproductive and sexual health that will form part of the commemoration of World Population Day are

Improving antenatal, delivery, postpartum and newborn care.
Providing high-quality services for voluntary family planning , including infertility services
Eliminating recourse to abortions
Combating STI’s including HIV AIDS , reproductive tract infections , cervical cancer and other gynecological morbidities
Promoting sexual health

Reproductive health is at the very heart of development and crucial to a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every child is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. Universal access to reproductive health by 2012 is also one of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals. Reproductive Health problems remain the leading cause of ill health and death for women of childbearing age worldwide. In poor and rural parts of the country, women continue to die because they lack access to contraceptives.

Each pregnancy increases a woman’s chance of dying from complications of pregnancy or childbirth. Maternal Deaths are particularly high for young and poor women, those who have least access to contraceptive services. Maternal and newborn deaths hurt families, slow economic growth and lead to global productivity losses. Conversely, investing in improved health for women and babies has far reaching benefits for the country.

The improvement of rural women is central to poverty and hunger eradication, development and other challenges. Thus we will continue to raise visibility of their rights to services .We will underline how issues of HIV/AIDS and gender equality are interlinked and illustrate the relation to rural women’s realities. We must ensure that rural woman can claim their rights to sexual and reproductive health as a critical step in eradicating poverty and hunger.

We can also confirm that the Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Project in partnership with FARR as mentioned in my Budget Vote Speech last year is gaining momentum. For the past 3 years the main focus has been to assist the pregnant women in the De Aar to have healthy, substance abuse free pregnancies so as to ensure that they give birth to healthier and FAS-free babies. The final research findings of this intervention indicate that there has been a 30% decrease in the FASD rate in De Aar.

Having also established the FAS prevalence rate in Upington, we can announce that the Department has indeed contracted FARR to establish the prevalence rates for Galeshewe and Roodepan. Work has already commenced in that regard.

The ability to determine the number, timing and spacing of one’s children is a recognized human right. Our responsibility is to ensure that this right is fully realized, especially among the poor.