Govt to procure 60m oral contraceptive pills this yr

The government will procure 60 million oral contraceptive pills at a cost of around Tk 600 million this year, officials said.
To push the move forward the ministry of health and family planning (MoHFP) has sent a proposal to the cabinet division seeking approval of the cabinet committee on public purchase at its meeting tomorrow (Wednesday).
"We have sent a proposal for purchasing low dose oral contraceptive pill- LDOP to the cabinet division to place it before the cabinet committee on public purchase for its approval", a high official of the MoHFP told the FE Monday.
"We will procure the oral contraceptive pills locally and internationally through tenders," he said.
The money will be given to the government by the international development association (IDA) through economic relations division (ERD) for procuring the LDOP.
The official said that every year the government procures LDOP as part of its population control programme.
He said the government had procured the contraceptive pills from a foreign country through international tender last year.
"This year we will procure LDOP mainly from our local pharmaceuticals companies. The rest will be brought from India," he said.
He said once the procurement of contraceptive pills is over then it will be dispatched to the district, upazila and union level government health offices for distribution among the mothers.  
There are around 23,000 family welfare assistants (FWAs) in the country. The FWAs will distribute the pill among the mothers.  
The family planning programme in the country started in 1953 that has helped reduce the fertility rate to 2.1 per cent from around 7 per cent over the last few years due to widespread use of oral contraceptives pill, according to the MoHFP.   
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