Women bear brunt of sterilisation in Odisha

In Odisha, men hate to undergo even minor medical procedures when it comes to family planning. Not only do they stay clear of sterilisation, they seem to burden the women with their decision too.

That the state has recorded just 0.3 per cent male sterilisation in the Annual Health Survey (AHS) says it all. The female sterilisation stands at 30 per cent. Urban or rural, the AHS 2010 reveals that male sterilisation remains almost same in the state. In case of urban Odisha, the figure stands at 0.4 per cent, whereas in rural pockets, it is marginally, but understandably, low at 0.3 per cent.

Some of the more urban districts such as Khurda, Cuttack, Puri and Balasore report very low male sterilisation.

In Balasore, the average was 0.1 per cent whereas in Khurda, it was 0.4 per cent. In Cuttack, it was 0.2 per cent, whereas in Puri, it was 0.1 per cent speaking volumes about the typical mindset. Interestingly, Bhadrak recorded the highest at 1.4 per cent, way above the State average, whereas tribal districts such as Rayagada and Koraput reported 0.9 per cent and 2 per cent respectively, two of the highest recorded male sterilisation.

On the other hand, female sterilisation is pretty much in vogue both in rural and urban Odisha although here, the rural females outscore their urban counterparts. Against 30.6 per cent female sterilisation record for the currently married women (CMW) in rural Odisha, the figure stands at 27.4 per cent in urban areas. The AHS reveals that at least 13 districts report over 30 per cent female sterilisation with the tribal-dominated Gajapati recording the highest at 50.5 per cent.

Significantly, economically-backward districts such as Deogarh, Bargarh, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Kalahandi and Rayagada outdo their coastal and developed counterparts.

While use of pills was just about 11 per cent in the state, emergency contraceptives were barely used as their coverage stood at about 0.1 per cent.

Significantly, condoms don’t appear to be popular in the state either. Just about 2.1 per cent used condoms for family planning.

In urban Odisha, the use was 4.4 per cent, whereas in rural pockets, despite all the campaigns by the State Government, it has remained 1.2 per cent. In tribal hinterlands such as Sundargarh and Deogarh, the usage remains higher—close to 6 per cent. Kendrapara district, however, reports the highest with 6.6 per cent and interestingly, the use is higher in its rural pockets. In fact, the only encouraging fact is that modern methods of family planning practices are on the rise. While 56 per cent surveyed CMWs adopted any method for family planning, 44 per cent of those were modern while another 12 per cent still used traditional practices, the AHS said.