CAN WE AVOID BABY BOOM?

THE government recently announced the commencement of a national policy of free medical care for pregnant women under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), beginning this month.
Barely 10 days into the implementation of the programme, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has recorded a sharp increase in the number of pregnant women registering with the NHIS in some major hospitals.
Closely linked to this are the concerns expressed by the Minister of Health, Major Courage Quashigah (retd), over the steady drop in the rate of contraceptive use in the country.
According to the minister, the rate of contraceptive use had dropped from 19 per cent in 2003 to 14 per cent in 2007.
While these statistics are already disturbing, placing the issue in the context of the government’s policy of free medical care for pregnant women and the already spiralling number of pregnant women registering under the NHIS should provide a basis for a careful analysis in order to avoid a population explosion.
All over the world concerns over population growth are receiving great attention and Ghanaians should not be seen as a people who are desirous of encouraging uncontrolled population growth.
Global economic trends require that we plan well for the future, bearing in mind the fact that resources are limited and can support only a specified range of economic activities.
Indeed, there have been concerns expressed by international agencies and the government of Ghana that high growth rate is a clear hindrance to development because of the pressure it puts on scarce resources, employment opportunities and food supplies.
According to the United Nations, the country’s annual population growth rate between 2000 and 2005 was 2.17 per cent, with the projected population for the year 2015 put at 26,359,000.
However, with the new policy, all things being equal the government could be dealing with an even greater population and that would mean a greater strain on the scarce resources, with the attendant issues of unemployment and food insufficiency.
In the light of this, the DAILY GRAPHIC wishes to urge the relevant authorities to take a second look at policy interventions which, though well-intentioned, may turn out to pose a serious threat to our development aspirations.
The programme to provide free medical care for pregnant women under the NHIS is not a bad intervention per se, but the question that must be posed is whether the necessary safeguards have been put in place to ensure that the policy is not abused.
People should not be encouraged to have children simply because there is free health care, and that should be the focus of an educational drive.
There is the need to drive home the point that proper child care goes beyond just antenatal care and parents need to recognise that children need proper care in a healthy and well-resourced environment to help them to achieve their noble goals in life.
The DAILY GRAPHIC wishes to advise parents to always remember that our world has changed and the number of children a couple has is no more a measure of social recognition as it used to be in the past.
True honour and success in parenting resides in bringing up children to become responsible citizens.