South Asian parliamentarians to work for better population planning. Parliamentarians meet in Colombo
Asian Forum newsletter official organ of the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development 1999: 7-8
1999
PMID: 12322411 Document Number: 235765
In the SAARC Regional Parliamentarian Conference attended by parliamentarian delegations from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka, population changes and increase of scope in health programs in Sri Lanka were discussed. It was noted that Sri Lanka has been successful in reducing its population growth rate from 2.8% in 1950 to 1.2% in 1999. Successive governments since their independence in 1948 have due to the effective policies and programs implemented this reduction. Some factors contributing to the mortality decline included the development and expansion of primary health care facilities, establishment of health care units, improvement of nutrition through food imports and subsidized distribution of food, and the rise in educational attainment of the population. As to reproductive health, Sri Lanka has recorded significant achievements over the past decades. These include increase of contraceptive prevalence rate, reduction of maternal and infant mortality rate, and a shift from quantity to quality services.