Administrative Aspects of Family Planning Programmes in Asia: Report on a Workshop

Abstract

A meeting of the Working Group on Administrative Aspects of Family Planning Programmes was held in Bangkok Thailand from 16 to 24 March 1966. It was organized by the U.N. Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) and the U.N. Development Programme in cooperation with The Population Council of New York. The objective of the meeting was to discuss family planning programme administration. The meeting was furthermore to focus on operational problems at local levels and not to include technical aspects such as training programmes or educational or communication methods in family planning or manufacture of fertility control supplies except in so far as they dealt with the central theme of the meeting: viz. family planning administration. The Working Group was attended by 23 participants working in the field of family planning in governmental and nongovernmental programmes. Participants were drawn from ten member countries of the Commission: Ceylon China (Taiwan) Hong Kong India Japan Republic of Korea Malaysia Pakistan Singapore and Thailand. A list of participants is appended. Representatives of the U.N. Specialized Agencies FAO ILO and WHO also took part. The Working Group was also attended by twelve experts working on problems relating to family planning of the Asia and Far East region. These experts were drawn from The Ford Foundation The Population Council the University of North Carolina The Swedish International Development Authority and the United States Agency for International Development. On 16 March 1966 the Working Group elected by acclamation the following officers: Chairman: Dr. Kamdhorn Suvarakitch (Thailand); First Vice-Chairman: Mr. Enver Adil (Pakistan); Second Vice-Chairman: Dr. V. T. Herat Gunaratne (Ceylon); Rapporteur: Dr. K. Kanagaratnam (Singapore). Dr. C. Chandrasekaran ECAFE Regional Demographic Adviser on Population Policy and Programmes acted as Secretary of the meeting. The Working Group discussed the Agenda in nine sessions held on 16-19 March and 22 March. On 21 March members of the Working Group visited the Photharam Family Health Research Project carried out by the National Research Council of the Government of Thailand with technical assistance from The Population Council New York. A visit to the Chulalongkorn Hospital was also made on 23 March to observe their IUD programme. The draft report of the Working Group was considered during 23-24 March and adopted at the concluding session. Following is a highly compressed summary of the final report prepared by Dr. Kanagaratnam. We are also indebted to Dr. Marshall Balfour Consultant to The Population Council for his help in preparing this version; and to Miss Dorothy Moses Chief Dvision of Social Affairs ECAFE for her kind permission to publish this account. (excerpt)