Family planning in El Salvador.

Abstract

Family planning in El Salvador is discussed. Like most developing countries El Salvador has a high birth rate (49 per 1000) a low mortality rate (13 per 1000) and a low per capita income ($272). The population contains a high percentage of dependents has little participation in the economy of the family from the women and there is a high percentage of unmarried women with children born out of wedlock. There is no family planning program being promoted by the University of El Salvador School of Medicine as such. However it has included some impartial instruction in demography in its curriculum at 2 levels: 1) a basic level integrated with biostatistics; and 2) a second level integrated with clinical studies under the Department of Preventive Medicine Gynecology and Obstetrics and Pediatrics. There is a research unit working on the physiology of human reproduction with a full-time professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology where students can spend elective time. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has been organizing a series of seminars on demographic problems including population theory and policies. There is a nonprofit nongovernmental agency called Asociacion Demografica Salvadorena whose purpose is to promote the scientific study of population problems to analyze existing demographic information and to collect new information. Since 1956 every medical student must work in community medicine for 1 year. Although he can give advice on family planning he does not promote any population control or family planning program. It is recommended that more information and teaching experiences related to biodemographic data sex information and education population structure and dynamics dynamics of population and population theories and policies be included in the new curricula of the Medical School.